What does "puzzle" mean?
Puzzle: The state of being puzzled; perplexity; as, to be in a puzzle.
Additional senses
- 2.To perplex; to confuse; to embarrass; to put to a stand; to nonplus. A very shrewd disputant in those points is dexterous in puzzling others. Dr. H. More. He is perpetually puzzled and perplexed amidst his own blunders. Addison.
- 3.To make intricate; to entangle. They disentangle from the puzzled skein. Cowper. The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate, Puzzled in mazes, and perplexed with error. Addison.
- 4.To solve by ingenuity, as a puzzle; -- followed by out; as, to puzzle out a mystery. See Embarrass.
- 5.To be bewildered, or perplexed. A puzzling fool, that heeds nothing. L'Estrange.
- 6.To work, as at a puzzle; as, to puzzle over a problem.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00