Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to dumbfound

to dumbfound

17 7.0
To surprise someone so much that they cannot speak or answer
  • verb
  • /ˈdʌmfaʊnd/
translation icon : dejar boquiabierto
  • Off to one side, Grant is talking to Cahill, who stares at him, dumbfounded.

Examples

  • "Sam, as you might imagine, is just dumbfounded," she announced, with her back to Delia.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • I guess you leave me dumbfounded.

    Up in the Air (2009)

  • Then she turned back to the boys, still standing dumbfounded in the positions they had been caught in.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Climatologists are dumbfounded by the storm that ripped through Long Island.

    I Kill Giants (2017)

  • I confess that, on that occasion, the decision of the judges left me dumbfounded.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Lise sits dumbfounded, then she puts her hand up over her mouth and laughs.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • - You're leaving me here flatfooted, a little dumbfounded, to be perfectly honest.

    Blue Seduction (2009)

  • Lets him sit around waiting for a dream to come true while his children sit dumbfounded by the edge of a muddy pool.

    Wish I Was Here (2014)

  • The quality and productivity of the work dumbfounded even the most ardent skeptics.

    Academic text (2011)

  • When he heard the news, he was completely dumbfound and couldn't find the words to respond.

Synonyms

to amaze
vsto dumbfound
294 1.0

To surprise someone very much

creates bewilderment that blocks response rather than only causing wonder
to confuse
vsto dumbfound
266 1.9

Make someone unable to think clearly or make something hard to understand

adds great astonishment that prevents any response rather than just clouding thought
to beat
vsto dumbfound
  • Informal
190 7.0

To be too difficult for someone to understand

adds sudden astonishment and speechlessness rather than merely difficult challenge
to puzzle
vsto dumbfound
73 4.9

To make someone feel confused when something is hard to understand

focuses more on sudden astonishment and inability to answer rather than general difficulty
to baffle
vsto dumbfound
65 5.3

To make someone very confused and unable to understand

adds astonishment and paralyzes response rather than only puzzling
to boggle
vsto dumbfound
58 7.2

To be so surprised or confused that you hesitate and cannot think clearly

forces a total inability to respond rather than mere hesitation
to stump
vsto dumbfound
39 5.3

To make someone unable to answer a question

is about general astonishment that stops any response rather than only failing to answer
to perplex
vsto dumbfound
35 6.3

To make someone confused and unable to understand

adds strong surprise preventing response rather than merely creating difficulty
to bewilder
vsto dumbfound
29 5.3

Make someone very confused and unable to think clearly

adds surprise that prevents response rather than only causing confusion
to mystify
vsto dumbfound
28 6.5

To make someone confused by making something seem mysterious

creates sudden astonishment and speechlessness rather than mysterious confusion
to confound
vsto dumbfound
22 7.0

Make someone unable to think clearly

also astonishes and prevents response rather than only impairing clear thought
to befuddle
vsto dumbfound
11 7.8

To make someone very confused so they cannot think clearly

involves astonishment that causes inability to respond rather than simple confusion
to bemuse
vsto dumbfound
11 7.5

To make someone feel confused or unable to understand

also causes strong surprise and stops response rather than gentle puzzlement
to stupefy
vsto dumbfound
9 7.9

To make someone unable to think or react after a very strong shock

leaves someone astonished and unable to respond rather than only stunned physically
to flabbergast
vsto dumbfound
8 7.4

To surprise someone very much

adds deep bewilderment and prevents response rather than just shocking
to flummox
vsto dumbfound
7 8.6

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

adds strong surprise and halts response rather than only causing uncertainty
to discombobulate
vsto dumbfound
  • Informal
6 9.9

To confuse someone so they cannot think clearly

adds sharp astonishment and stops response rather than just muddling thought
to vex
vsto dumbfound
1 7.7

To confuse someone by making something hard to understand

adds great surprise and stops response rather than only causing puzzlement
to nonplus
vsto dumbfound
9.4

Surprise and confuse a person so they do not know what to do

causes someone to be unable to respond rather than only unsure how to react
to fox
vsto dumbfound
8.9

To confuse someone so they cannot think clearly

also involves strong astonishment that leaves someone speechless rather than only bewildering
to gravel
vsto dumbfound
  • Archaic
9.9

To annoy or puzzle someone

focuses on strong astonishment and inability to respond rather than annoyance

How Astonishing

to dumbfound
17 7.0
to stun
11 3.0
to astonish
13 3.5
to surprise
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

dumbfound infinitive
dumbfounding present participle
dumbfounds third person singular
dumbfounded past
dumbfounded past participle

Morphology

dumbfound = dumb + found (opaque) = dumb + found

Although made of two clear words, the meaning 'to astonish or render speechless' cannot be predicted from 'dumb' + the usual senses of 'found'; the semantic relation is non‑transparent for learners.

Etymology

Dumbfound comes from the parts dumb ('silent') and found (an old word meaning 'to strike' or 'make someone'). It originally meant 'to make someone silent', which is why dumbfound now means to astonish someone so much they cannot speak.