Definition of BAFFLE

Choose the Right Synonym for baffle

Verb

frustrate, thwart, foil, baffle, balk mean to check or defeat another's plan or block achievement of a goal. frustrate implies making vain or ineffectual all efforts however vigorous or persistent. frustrated attempts at government reform thwart suggests frustration or checking by crossing or opposing. the army thwarted his attempt at a coup foil implies checking or defeating so as to discourage further effort. foiled by her parents, he stopped trying to see her baffle implies frustration by confusing or puzzling. baffled by the maze of rules and regulations balk suggests the interposing of obstacles or hindrances. officials felt that legal restrictions had balked their efforts to control crime

Examples of baffle in a Sentence

Verb

I was baffled by many of the scientific terms used in the article. the language barrier baffled everyone and discouraged us from attempting another teleconference

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Yet while Britain’s politics can baffle, the long-term success of their representative government and competitive party democracy remains clear. — Arthur I. Cyr, Lake County News-Sun, "Cyr: British politics reflect change — and stability," 14 June 2019 Orwell thought of the poor as decent people, but he’d be baffled to observe today that the welfare state has created a class of layabouts who, liberated from economic anguish, shackle themselves to screens, drugs, alcohol. — Kyle Smith, National Review, "What Would Orwell Think of Us?," 11 June 2019 The deaths of nearly two dozen horses have been baffling. — Cheri Mossburg And Steve Almasy, CNN, "Another racehorse dies after an injury at Santa Anita Park," 6 June 2019 In a country that has become increasingly multicultural, classical ensembles venerate the music of dead white composers, and audiences often find new music baffling and incomprehensible. — Maya Chung, The New York Review of Books, "When Women Take the Baton," 26 Mar. 2019 Lee, baffled that Ditko included that moment, has Spider-Man remark on the pointlessness of the reveal. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Steve Ditko’s Ordinary People," 10 July 2018 Network, which is all about the staging and nominee Bryan Cranston’s performance, is the less-baffling omission. — Adam Green, Vogue, "Takeaways From the 2019 Tony Nominations: Downtown Comes to Broadway," 30 Apr. 2019 Daenerys Wilds Out As mentioned above, fans were left baffled by Daenerys’s transformation into the Mad Queen. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "Everything Fans Flipped Out About on Last Night’s Game of Thrones," 13 May 2019 Pike tells Saru, the acting captain of the Disco, who seems not only stunned but also utterly baffled by the human concept of a handshake. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 trailer will resonate with TOS fans," 24 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

For those who are looking for pillow-top comfort instead of foam, this 3-inch bed topper is filled with two layers of 550 fill power down and feathers inside a cotton shell, while baffle box construction keeps the down clusters evenly distributed. — Lexie Sachs, Good Housekeeping, "7 Top-Rated Mattress Toppers, According to Textile Pros," 19 Dec. 2018 Woodstoves come in two basic types: with and without a catalyst, which is a honeycomb-like baffle plated with precious metals (left in the image). — Roy Berendson, Popular Mechanics, "The Ultimate Guide To Cutting and Splitting Firewood," 28 Sep. 2018 The standard way of dealing with this is to add baffles or suppressors on the end of the barrel to divert and slow down the gas. — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, "The Science of Russia's New Silent Sniper Rifle," 29 Aug. 2018 The speakers point downward, so a pair of baffles at the bottom called deflectors—one tuned to the frequencies emitted by each speaker—redirect the sound outward, in all directions, through the speaker grille. — Kevin Dupzyk, Popular Mechanics, "What It Looks Like When You Take Apart an Amazon Echo," 24 Feb. 2017 The 20-denier outer fabric is pleasantly soft and quiet, and low-stretch baffles ensure a stable sleeping surface. — Outside Online, "The Best Women’s Thru-Hiking Gear of 2018," 15 May 2018 Their thick bark and tall straight trunks — branchless for the first 150 to 200 feet — function like massive acoustic baffles, aided by a sound-damping carpet of dense duff. — Robert Earle Howells, SFChronicle.com, "Should we hide the locations of Earth’s greatest trees?," 3 July 2018 The horizontal baffles create a stable, supportive sleeping surface, and foil panels stitched inside help hold warm air near your body, adding necessary nighttime warmth underneath you. — Wes Siler, Outside Online, "Plan Your First Backpacking Trip," 13 June 2018 Keep in mind that your homemade baffle will need to be smooth and wide so the squirrels can’t get a grip on it or jump over it. — Jean Nick, Good Housekeeping, "8 Ways To Keep Squirrels Away From Your Bird Feeders," 20 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'baffle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.