puzzle out
phrasal verb
puzzled out; puzzling out; puzzles out
: to understand or find (something, such as the answer to a difficult problem) by careful thinking
She puzzled out the meaning of the strange phrase.
Examples of puzzle out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While researchers are still puzzling out the cause of the complication, new research suggests that a key CAR-T manufacturing step can reactivate HHV-6 in T cells.
—
Angus Chen, STAT, 8 Nov. 2023
Why he got so lost in the first place — that’s what the memoir tries to puzzle out.
—Sarah Hepola, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2023
Through letters his mother left behind and fragments of his own memories, Clowes has puzzled out a few details.
—Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2023
In the meantime, Meitner was determined to puzzle out those results.
—Ashraya Gupta, Scientific American, 7 Sep. 2023
As a result, British procedurals are almost always focused on puzzling out who did what.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2023
But first, India has eyes on the sun; next month, ISRO will launch Aditya-L1, a spacecraft designed to help puzzle out the mysteries of the solar atmosphere.
—Sushmita Pathak, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Aug. 2023
But more challenging phrases presented great difficulty, as did puzzling out the jokes and stories of my Yiddish-speaking sources.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 19 July 2023
Determining your genotype is one thing, but puzzling out its implications is another.
—Krithika Varagur, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
See More
Angus Chen, STAT, 8 Nov. 2023
Why he got so lost in the first place — that’s what the memoir tries to puzzle out.
—Sarah Hepola, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2023
Through letters his mother left behind and fragments of his own memories, Clowes has puzzled out a few details.
—Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2023
In the meantime, Meitner was determined to puzzle out those results.
—Ashraya Gupta, Scientific American, 7 Sep. 2023
As a result, British procedurals are almost always focused on puzzling out who did what.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2023
But first, India has eyes on the sun; next month, ISRO will launch Aditya-L1, a spacecraft designed to help puzzle out the mysteries of the solar atmosphere.
—Sushmita Pathak, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Aug. 2023
But more challenging phrases presented great difficulty, as did puzzling out the jokes and stories of my Yiddish-speaking sources.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 19 July 2023
Determining your genotype is one thing, but puzzling out its implications is another.
—Krithika Varagur, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'puzzle out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near puzzle out
Cite this Entry
“Puzzle out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puzzle%20out. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on puzzle out
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share