as in mystery
something hard to understand or explain
the final fate of the colonists at Roanoke remains a puzzle to this very day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to baffle
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
it is the cause of the disease that puzzles doctors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of puzzle
Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
Looking for a free mini puzzle?
—David Wysong, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Sep. 2025
Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Staying away from puzzling lines like this is typically the best move.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for puzzle
Noun
The developers sprinkle puzzle elements into some dungeons while also adding moments where stealth is more useful and efficient than brute force.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
Looking for a free mini puzzle?
—David Wysong, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
However, the situation continued to puzzle them, so eventually Michelle asked popular Scottish content creator Dazza to use his large platform to draw more eyes to the appeal.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Staying away from puzzling lines like this is typically the best move.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for puzzle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puzzle
Noun
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But there’s a whole lot else going on here besides, beginning with that aforementioned lobby encounter between Mathias and blonde mystery woman Claude (Nadia Tereszkiewicz, more breathily reminiscent than ever of a younger Marion Cotillard).—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
27 Sep. 2025
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This is a literary thriller, mystery and an ode to true crime all wrapped up in one.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Fans in the surrounding section can be heard in shock, baffled that the man gave away such a coveted possession.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Zeidman was baffled that Shane had been the first person Brooklyn prosecutors sought to execute.—
John J. Lennon,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Taylor is accustomed to playing forceful characters who have perplexing emotions about motherhood, and in A Thousand and One, Taylor earned her stripes as a performer and acclaim.—
Essence,
Essence,
18 Sep. 2025
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For nearly 20 years, astronomers have been perplexed by the strange disk of dust and debris circling Fomalhaut, a bright star just 25 light-years from Earth.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By bridging cutting-edge research with accessible, actionable advice, this book fills a critical gap in the menopause conversation — one that has left millions of women confused, underserved and unheard.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
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Others commented on the eeriness of discovering unfamiliar images in one’s personal gallery and the realization of how default app settings can confuse or alarm users.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The designs were puckish and gender-bending, evoking both awe and repulsion—the sort of clothing that titillates lovers of conceptual fashion and bewilders the uninitiated.—
Ana Karina Zatarain,
New Yorker,
19 Sep. 2025
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Cody Meissner, a pediatric professor at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine who has served on ACIP in the past—arguably the most qualified of Kennedy's new lineup—was bewildered at why the committee was rehashing the issue addressed years ago.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Puzzle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puzzle. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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