as in mysteries
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 baffles
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
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 puzzles
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
To test that, the final group completed cognitively demanding games such as mazes and shape puzzles called tangrams that contained no academic content.
—
Supreet Kaur,
Scientific American,
10 June 2026
The animation above shows how DiffusionGemma was tuned to solve Sudoku puzzles, which is a notoriously challenging task for standard autoregressive AI models because each token depends on future tokens.
—
ArsTechnica,
10 June 2026
The main salon is also fitted with a dining table that converts into a workspace for the owners who love crafts and puzzles.
—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
9 June 2026
Thief is a fairly open game, typically featuring more than one answer to its puzzles.
—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
9 June 2026
The Production Values Changed The Category The strongest operators also understood early that immersion required more than puzzles alone.
—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Barbara Hagenbaugh,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
What still puzzles me, amid all these noteworthy projects, is Dudamel’s way with the standard repertory.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
These word puzzles all covertly reference the years-old disappearance of Charlie, Martha’s brilliant older sister.
—
The Know,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
The lineage of these hybrids traces back to Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island, a discovery that still puzzles scientists today.
—
ABC News,
20 Feb. 2026
While everyone else puzzles it over, Coe is already on his way to the multi-faith ceremony at Abbotsfield, where Mayor Jaffrey is joining other mourners to honor the 11 people killed in the assault that opened the season.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
To test that, the final group completed cognitively demanding games such as mazes and shape puzzles called tangrams that contained no academic content.
—
Supreet Kaur,
Scientific American,
10 June 2026
The animation above shows how DiffusionGemma was tuned to solve Sudoku puzzles, which is a notoriously challenging task for standard autoregressive AI models because each token depends on future tokens.
—
ArsTechnica,
10 June 2026
The main salon is also fitted with a dining table that converts into a workspace for the owners who love crafts and puzzles.
—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
9 June 2026
Thief is a fairly open game, typically featuring more than one answer to its puzzles.
—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
9 June 2026
The Production Values Changed The Category The strongest operators also understood early that immersion required more than puzzles alone.
—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
Although many economists say the market was overvalued and a decline was inevitable, what triggered the crash is open to debate, and the sheer magnitude of the drop still puzzles economists.
—
Barbara Hagenbaugh,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
What still puzzles me, amid all these noteworthy projects, is Dudamel’s way with the standard repertory.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
These word puzzles all covertly reference the years-old disappearance of Charlie, Martha’s brilliant older sister.
—
The Know,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
The lineage of these hybrids traces back to Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island, a discovery that still puzzles scientists today.
—
ABC News,
20 Feb. 2026
While everyone else puzzles it over, Coe is already on his way to the multi-faith ceremony at Abbotsfield, where Mayor Jaffrey is joining other mourners to honor the 11 people killed in the assault that opened the season.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puzzles
Noun
-
Albert’s prose sometimes strains for lyricism, but the mysteries embedded in the novel—creative, familial, and supernatural—exert a powerful draw.
-
Its goal is to unlock the mysteries of dark energy while planet hunting outside our solar system.
Verb
-
Using humane methods like squirrel baffles and tree nets can effectively keep squirrels out of your fruit trees.
-
Multiple baffles within the bladder help keep the liquid from sloshing around excessively, while a wide waterproof zipper across the top makes for easy filling, cleaning, and adding of electrolytes.
Verb
-
But the unknown in that equation is what perplexes the Mavericks and has the team stuck for now.
Verb
-
But nobody confuses Harvard Extension School classes with the real thing.
-
If a neighbor or sibling confuses the thread, summarize and invite a decision.
Verb
-
For three years straight, he’s kept up a pace that bewilders the industry’s leading comics.
-
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.
Cite this Entry
“Puzzles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puzzles. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
