flummoxes

verb

present tense third-person singular of flummox
as in confuses
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 flummoxes My only exception to this rule is traveling with family—we're all apples that fell from the same tree, and are generally agreeable around each other even over long periods—something that flummoxes my husband no end. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flummoxes
  1. confuses
  2. perplexes
  3. baffles
  4. bewilders
  5. puzzles
  6. befuddles
Verb
  • The legal system dehumanizes her, the support group confuses her, and one of her friends painfully disappoints her.
    — Carey Purcell, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
  • This confuses each Nyota but also those around them, who note that the Nyotas have rather quickly assumed new hairstyles but also that neither is behaving quite like herself.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of confuses
Verb
  • This sort of manipulation produces volatility and perplexes markets.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But the unknown in that equation is what perplexes the Mavericks and has the team stuck for now.
    — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 1 Jan. 2026
Definition of perplexes
Verb
  • But Danny Niemela, a contractor at ArDan Construction, says that the process baffles him.
    — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, McGrew agreed to adjustments, including adding baffles to reduce sound from a attached generator for the tower and replacing tower fencing that incorporated barbed wire with taller, more natural looking fencing.
    — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
Definition of baffles
Verb
  • As fans of the comedian know, Ali G is a streetwise interviewer whose hip hop slang often bewilders guests such as Noam Chomsky, Andy Rooney and Newt Gingrich.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 7 July 2026
  • The narrator and his wife find that their attachment to the charismatic and cryptic Chibi grows with the cat’s increasing visits, in a way that bewilders them but somehow bonds them closer together.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Definition of bewilders
Verb
  • These Companies Are Ready To Cash In Sixsmith argues his firm is unusual in pushing more traders through to genuine live accounts, which is why the reluctance to go there puzzles him.
    — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • The pitch can move to either direction of the plate — a profile that still puzzles his teammates and pitch recognition tools.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of puzzles
Verb
  • That coach’s befuddlement befuddles me, almost as much as Bowles’ decision.
    — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The invisible present befuddles each generation in every age.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
Definition of befuddles

Browse Nearby Words

flummoxed
flummoxes
flummoxing
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Cite this Entry

“Flummoxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flummoxes. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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