❓ To confuse ❓ A mystery 🫲 A soft hit 🫲 To hit softly

to baff

9.9

To hit something lightly or confuse someone

verb
/bæf/

: dar un golpecito

The teacher's riddle seemed to baff even the brightest students in the class.

Examples

He baffed the ball gently to his friend.
He tried to baff the dust from the table with a soft cloth.
In the old poem, the knight would baff his shield with a gentle touch.
The teacher's explanation baffed the students.
He carefully baff the candle to extinguish the flame without making a mess.
The unexpected question from the audience baff the speaker momentarily.
She tried to baff the moth away from the light with her hand.

Synonyms

to throw

vsto baff

321 7.8

To make someone feel confused or unsure

also includes a light physical hit as well as causing puzzlement

to frustrate

vsto baff

137 3.0

Make someone feel annoyed because they cannot do something

focuses more on confusing or lightly striking rather than only causing annoyance

to baffle

vsto baff

3 6.1

To stop someone's plans or efforts from succeeding

is broader, also means a light physical hit or to confuse people

to gravel

vsto baff

Archaic

9.9

To annoy or puzzle someone

can mean deliberate hindrance or a soft hit rather than mild annoyance

Antonyms

to clarify

248 3.3

To make something clear so others can understand it

How Hard

to punch

455 1.4

to slap

492 1.0

to baff

9.9

to tap

174 1.0

pat

∞ 1.0

to touch

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

baff infinitive

baffed past

baffed past participle

baffing present participle

baffs third person singular

Etymology

Baff as a verb can be remembered like buff meaning 'a light hit' and like baffle meaning 'to confuse', so it can mean to give a soft strike or to frustrate someone. So to baff is to hit gently or to leave someone puzzled.