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to boggle

to boggle

58 7.2
To be so surprised or confused that you hesitate and cannot think clearly
  • verb
  • /ˈbɑɡəl/
translation icon : quedarse perplejo
  • And that is the subject of Today, Infinity, which boggles everybody's mind who's ever thought about it.
  • boggle the mind

You're going to see things that boggle, boggle your mind, Danny.

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Examples

  • And to see something like that happen boggles my mind.

  • And I remember how hard it was for me at that age and now with social media, I just, I mean, it boggles my mind.

  • But holding up this relief operation really does boggle the mind.

  • I'll give you some example of complex question that would boggle your mind if you think about it.

  • Congressional intervention has gone into a level of detail that boggles the mind.

    Academic text (2002)
  • It just completely boggles the mind.

  • Now to have these kind of contrasts coexist is something which boggles my mind.

  • Already, half the nation is so boggled up with your wonder drugs that they don't know if they're coming or going.

  • Norman leaned back and boggled at the strangeness of fate.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • His astonishing discovery left everyone boggled and speechless.

Synonyms

to bewilder
vsto boggle
29 5.3

Make someone very confused and unable to think clearly

is about feeling stunned by surprise rather than only being confused
to dumbfound
vsto boggle
17 7.0

To surprise someone so much that they cannot speak or answer

is less about causing shock and more about the state of hesitation
to be stumped
vsto boggle
  • Informal
15 6.4

Cannot think of an answer or solution

is a general stunned confusion from surprise rather than problem blockage
to flabbergast
vsto boggle
8 7.4

To surprise someone very much

is more about stunned confusion and hesitation than pure amazement
to flummox
vsto boggle
7 8.6

To confuse someone so they do not know what to do or think

is more about stunned hesitation from amazement than mere uncertainty
to reel with shock
vsto boggle
7.2

To feel so shocked for a short time that you cannot think or speak

is similar but includes confusion as well as surprise causing hesitation

How Amazed

to stun
11 3.0
to boggle
58 7.2
to amaze
294 1.0
to surprise
1.0

Surface Forms

boggle infinitive
boggled past
boggled past participle
boggling present participle
boggles third person singular

Etymology

Boggle probably comes from an old Scots word bogill meaning 'to frighten' or 'to shake'. So to boggle is like your mind being 'shaken' by surprise or confusion, making you stop or hesitate.