flummox

verb

ˈflə-məks How to pronounce flummox (audio)
Definition of flummoxnext
as in to perplex
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty an actor who's easily flummoxed by any changes in the script

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of flummox The Celtics were flummoxed by Robinson during the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals. — Tom Rende, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Christian Petersen / Getty Images San Antonio’s defense once again flummoxed the Thunder. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 May 2026 Visitors were flummoxed by the machinery used to pay, and local residents struggled to get the free permits they were promised. — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 May 2026 His injuries facilitate his regeneration into the younger McGann model, via a lengthy hospital sequence in which the medical staff is appropriately flummoxed by his two hearts. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for flummox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flummox
  1. perplex
  2. bewilder
  3. baffle
  4. confuse
  5. puzzle
  6. befuddle
Verb
  • Hurley and the Huskies’ bench, perplexed when the Huskies were called for their 13th foul when Michigan only had six, earned their first techinical of the season after assistant Mike Nardi threw his scouting papers on the floor.
    — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 7 Nov. 2026
  • At Telluride, Fielder, who had initially planned to stay behind the scenes, admitted he was still perplexed by the couple’s openness.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of perplex
Verb
  • Many Eagles players were concerned and bewildered by the development.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Latif is conflicted by his double life, bewildered by his doubling of parental responsibilities, constantly trying to think two moves ahead yet always ending up three steps behind.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of bewilder
Verb
  • However, having gone through this first season, many are now baffled as to how the algorithm works.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
  • But, about eight days before the election, when Acker heard that Stevens was thinking about switching her endorsement from El-Sayed to the Republican Senate candidate, Mike Rogers, he was baffled.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of baffle
Verb
  • Nearly all of the 70,000-plus fans in attendance — even the half of the stadium that was wearing Denver Broncos orange — were confused.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Neither party should confuse a vote with a lifetime commitment.
    — Jose M. Muñoz, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of confuse
Verb
  • But what is puzzling is that the country’s leaders are not acting.
    — Oliver Melton, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2026
  • But doing so means obstructing the inner part of the corona, which harbors the most important processes that underpin the puzzling phenomena of the sun’s upper atmosphere.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of puzzle
Verb
  • Two weeks after befuddling football fans from Duluth to Daytona Beach, Texas PAC engineered an even more straightforward placement by snapping up a unit in NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • For Bass, the program is evidence that her administration has made progress on an issue that befuddled her predecessors.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of befuddle

Browse Nearby Words

flumes
flummox
flummoxed
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Cite this Entry

“Flummox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flummox. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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