to baffle
3
6.1
- verb
- /ˈbæfəl/
- As a teenager, Dub had figured out that women were going to blindside and baffle him most of his life.
Examples
-
The thing that baffles my mind is that people don't realize that there is no Monday morning quarterbacking in life.
-
This was typical of the details that could baffle him in the morning.
Fiction book (1997) -
Boy, it just like, it baffles me that they can move stuff like that.
-
We don't want to baffle her.
-
However, the case has baffled the investigating officers.
Blog text (9) -
It always baffles me when I see people get up in arms about someone telling a lie.
-
Certain cities of the Orient were designed to baffle the enemy by a tangle of intricate streets.
Fiction book (1996) -
When John Hobson cast economics in macrotheoretical terms, he baffled his fellow economists.
Academic text (1990) -
Prince Bondo, the messenger, confided that he had long labored under an affliction that baffled the best minds in the medical and magical worlds.
Fiction book (2001) -
The complicated math problem completely baffled the students during the exam.
Synonyms
209
2.8
To make something less good or enjoyable
146
5.9
To stop someone's plans or make them fail
77
7.4
To stop someone from doing what they want
35
5.5
To stop a plan or action from working
19
3.6
Stop someone from doing something they planned to do
5
8.0
To stop or slow progress
2
8.1
To stop a plan or action from happening
1
9.9
Stop someone's plans or efforts from succeeding
1
9.9
To hit something lightly or confuse someone
Antonyms
Compounds
How Effective
77
7.4
3
6.1
89
5.1
75
3.6
59
6.5
152
3.5
Surface Forms
Etymology
Baffle A helpful way to remember this sense is to think of the idea 'to stop' or 'to strike', so to baffle someone's plans is to block or frustrate them. That's why baffle can mean to prevent someone from reaching a goal.