puzzle over

phrasal verb

puzzled over; puzzling over; puzzles over
: to think or worry for a long time about (something)
He's been puzzling over what went wrong.

Examples of puzzle over in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For years, investigators puzzled over how the couple and their children could vanish entirely. Mason Leath, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2025 At four remote sites near Saudi Arabia’s Nefud Desert, researchers are puzzling over 130 life-sized animal images emblazoned on rocky outcrops. Martin J. Kernan, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2025 The bigger question scientists are puzzling over, though, is why does the mystery bird exist? Amanda Schupak, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025 Among the photos shared were the couple doing a word puzzle over FaceTime and posing together at an event for The Jessie Rees Foundation, an organization Darnold supports that is dedicated to helping pediatric cancer patients. Beth Sobol, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for puzzle over

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“Puzzle over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puzzle%20over. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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