flabbergast

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verb flab·ber·gast \ ˈfla-bər-ˌgast \

Definition of flabbergast

transitive verb

:to overwhelm with shock, surprise, or wonder :dumbfound

We were flabbergasted by the news that he had won the lottery.

—

flabbergastingly

play \ˈfla-bər-ˌga-stiŋ-lē\ adverb

See flabbergast defined for English-language learners

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Examples of flabbergast in a Sentence

It flabbergasts me to see how many people still support them.
your decision to suddenly quit your job flabbergasts me

Recent Examples of flabbergast from the Web

In the left-wing Italian city of Pistoia, some were flabbergasted this summer when an anti-migrant, right-wing mayor was elected.

— rick noack, Washington Post, "The large-scale tragedies that mostly went unnoticed, and 5 other global stories," 31 Aug. 2017
Craft cocktails and a menu of Thai delicacies from chefs Noree Pla and Fern Kaewtathip complement a rotating roster of performers, who flabbergast Thursday through Saturday.

— Los Angeles Magazine, "The Best Magic Show in L.A. That’s Not at Magic Castle," 31 July 2017
Craft cocktails and a menu of Thai delicacies from chefs Noree Pla and Fern Kaewtathip complement a rotating roster of performers, who flabbergast Thursday through Saturday.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "Best of LA: 92 of Our Favorite Things to Eat, Do, and Buy Right Now," 14 July 2017
That this has happened a mere two months into a season that began with Judge edging out Aaron Hicks for a starting spot in right field at the end of spring training left Judge flabbergasted on Wednesday.

— billy witz, New York Times, "Yankees Slugger Aaron Judge Is Third in Early All-Star Voting," 31 May 2017
My wife and I were flabbergasted by their chutzpah, as well as the chutzpah of the banquet manager, who never asked our permission when inviting these strangers in.

— leonard schwarz, The Mercury News, "Money Manners: Hotel invited prospective clients to crash wedding," 18 May 2017
No one knows if Lynn can run an NFL game or handle the tedium of non-football details that can lard a head coach’s schedule and seemed to flabbergast McCoy at times.

— tom krasovic, sandiegouniontribune.com, "You knew this could happen — Bolts less doltish now," 12 May 2017
Riley was flabbergasted, as no such policy exists at many of the large districts in the Kansas City area, including Olathe, Blue Valley, Lee’s Summit, Park Hill and Shawnee Mission.

— eric adler, kansascity.com, "Mom battles Raytown district for not allowing her to observe autistic son in class," 9 May 2017
Most of the senior executives in my company are flabbergasted by the negative portrayal of him.

— paul bond, The Hollywood Reporter, "Steve Bannon's Former Hollywood Partner Breaks Silence: "He's Not a Racist" (Q&A)," 8 May 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of flabbergast

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1772

See Words from the same year

flabbergast Synonyms

Synonyms

amaze, astonish, astound, bowl over, dumbfound (also dumfound), surprise, floor, rock, shock, startle, stun, stupefy, thunderstrike

Related Words

befuddle, bewilder, blindside, blow away, confound, confuse, daze, discomfit, disconcert, dismay, jar, muddle, nonplus, perplex, shake up

Synonym Discussion of flabbergast

surprise, astonish, astound, amaze, flabbergast mean to impress forcibly through unexpectedness. surprise stresses causing an effect through being unexpected but not necessarily unusual or novel.

- surprised to find them at home

astonish implies surprising so greatly as to seem incredible.

- a discovery that astonished the world

astound stresses the shock of astonishment.

- too astounded to respond

amaze suggests an effect of bewilderment.

- amazed by the immense size of the place

flabbergast may suggest thorough astonishment and bewilderment or dismay.

- flabbergasted by his angry refusal

FLABBERGAST Defined for English Language Learners

flabbergast

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verb

Definition of flabbergast for English Language Learners

: to shock or surprise (someone) very much

FLABBERGAST Defined for Kids

flabbergast

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verb flab·ber·gast \ ˈfla-bər-ˌgast \

Definition of flabbergast for Students

flabbergasted; flabbergasting

:to greatly surprise :astonish

Learn More about flabbergast

See words that rhyme with flabbergast Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for flabbergast Spanish Central: Translation of flabbergast Nglish: Translation of flabbergast for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of flabbergast for Arabic speakers

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flabbergast

Definition of flabbergast

flabbergastingly

From the M-W Editors

Examples of flabbergast in a Sentence

Recent Examples of flabbergast from the Web

Origin and Etymology of flabbergast

flabbergast Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of flabbergast

FLABBERGAST Defined for English Language Learners

flabbergast

Definition of flabbergast for English Language Learners

FLABBERGAST Defined for Kids

flabbergast

Definition of flabbergast for Students

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