puzzle

Syllables: puz·zleUK/ˈpʌzəl/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Australia/ˈpɐzəl/

puzzle noun: the state of feeling confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; bewilderment, confusion; (countable) often in in a puzzle: an instance of this. Also the obsolete abbreviation of puzzle-peg.

Image: Lpele, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

puzzle (countable and uncountable, plural puzzles)

(uncountable) The state of feeling confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; bewilderment, confusion; (countable) often in in a puzzle: an instance of this.
- Certainly, Men in Great Fortunes, are ſtrangers to themſelues, and vvhile they are in the puſle of buſineſſe, they haue no time to tend their Health, either of Body, or Minde.1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Great Place”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC, pages 55–56
- She stopt, felt herself getting into a puzzle, and could not be prevailed on to add another word, not by dint of several minutes of supplication and waiting.1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter III, in Mansfield Park: […], volume III, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 66
Synonyms:

bafflement, perplexity
(countable) A thing such as a complicated matter or a problem which is difficult to make sense of or understand; also, a person who is difficult to make sense of or understand; an enigma.
- Where he went after he left the house is a puzzle.
- To the laſt puzzle propounded, vvhether theſe Archei [vital forces believed to be responsible for alchemical reactions within living bodies] be ſo many ſprigs of the common Soul of the vvorld, or particular ſubſiſtencies of themſelves; there is no great inconvenience in acknovvledging that it may...1655, Henry More, chapter XI, in An Antidote against Atheism, or, An Appeal to the Naturall Faculties of the Minde of Man, whether There Be Not a God. … The Second Edition Corrected and Enlarged...
Synonyms:

anybody's guess, anyone's guess, conundrum, mystery, crux
(countable) Often preceded by a descriptive word: a game or toy, or a problem, requiring some effort to complete or work out, which is intended as a pastime and/or to test one's mental ability.
- crossword puzzle jigsaw puzzle
- Upon the whole, he [a person in a cave] looked not unlike that ingenious puzzle, called a reel in a bottle, the marvel of children, (and of some grown people too, myself for one,) who can neither comprehend the mystery how it has got in, or how it is to be taken out.1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], “More Explanation”, in Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman...
Synonyms:

brainteaser, poser

Verb

puzzle (third-person singular simple present puzzles, present participle puzzling, simple past and past participle puzzled)

(also, reflexive, transitive, often passive voice) To cause (oneself or someone, or their mind, etc.) to feel confused or mystified because they cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; to confuse, to mystify, to perplex.
- Mens daily occaſions for themſelves or friends, and the neceſities of common life, require the doing of a thouſand things vvithin the compaſs of a fevv dayes, for vvhich it vvould puzzle the beſt Textman that liveth; readily to bethink himself of a ſentence in the Bible, clear enough to ſatisfie a...1634 August 31 (date delivered; Gregorian calendar), Robert Sanderson, “[Ad Clerum.] The Fourth Sermon. At a Metropolitical Visitation at Grantham, Lincoln, 22 August 1634.”, in XXXIV Sermons. […]...
- [H]e has a very ſmart VVit, and is a very ſhrevvd Diſputant in thoſe Points himſelf ſeems moſt puzzled in, and is therein very dexterous in puzzling others, if they be not thorough-paced Speculators in thoſe great Theories.1668, Franciscus Euistor the Palæopolite [pseudonym; Henry More], “The First Dialogue”, in Divine Dialogues, Containing Sundry Disquisitions & Instructions Concerning the Attributes of God and His...
Synonyms:

empuzzle, addle, baffle, vex, lose, embroil, stick, stump, baffound, bamboozle
(transitive) To use (one's brain or mind) to try to work out a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; also, to try to work out (a complicated matter, a problem, etc.).
- VVhich puſles the braine, and doth confound the ſence, / VVhich makes vs rather beare thoſe euilles vve haue, / Than flie to others that vve knovv knot of.c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shake-speare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and Iohn Trundell...
- VVhat haſt thou to do vvith Thought? Mind thy ovvn Buſineſs, and never puzzle thy Noddle vvith Thought.1722 October 12 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Susanna Cent-livre, The Artifice. A Comedy. […], London: […] T[homas] Payne, […], published 1723, →OCLC, Act III, scene [i], page 36
(obsolete, transitive) To (intentionally) make (something) complicated or confused, and so difficult to resolve or understand; to confuse, to complicate.
- [T]hey are theſe Talkative Fools, vvhoſe Religion is only in vvord, and are debauched and vain in their Converſation, that (being ſo much admitted into the fellovv-ſhip of the godly) do puzzle the VVorld, blemiſh Chriſtianity, and grieve the ſincere.1680, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], 5th edition, Edinburgh: […] Iohn Cairns, […], →OCLC, page 83
- [H]e vvas heard vvith great attention, though his Parts vvere moſt prevalent in puzzling and perplexing that diſcourſe he meant to croſs.1702, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, book II, in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], volume I, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the [Sheldonian]...
Synonyms:

confound, entangle, muddle, obfuscate
(obsolete, transitive, chiefly passive voice) To cause (someone) to not know what to do due to some problem, situation, etc.; to bewilder, to confound, to perplex.
- I ſay there is no darkneſſe but ignorance, in vvhich thou art more puzel'd then the Ægyptians in their fogge.c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
- [W]e found ground at forty fadomes, many Snakes ſvvimming about our ſhips, vvhich (vvith the vvaters changing colour) aſſured us vve vvere neere the ſhoare (the laſt ſtorme had puzled us) […]1638, Tho[mas] Herbert, “[First Sight of India]”, in Some Yeares Travels Into Divers Parts of Asia and Afrique. […], 2nd edition, London: […] R[ichard] Bi[sho]p for Iacob Blome and Richard Bishop...
(intransitive) Often followed by about, over, or upon: to feel confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.
(intransitive) Often followed by about, over, or or upon: to think deeply in bewilderment to try to work out a complicated matter, a problem, etc.
- We puzzled over the curious-shaped lock, but were unable to discover how the key should be inserted.
- [B]oth I my ſelfe and divers vvhom I knovv, have pored and puſled vpon many an old Record and Evidence to ſatisfie our ſelves herein: […]1605, M. N. [pseudonym; William Camden], “Surnames”, in Remaines of a Greater Worke, Concerning Britaine, […], London: […] G[eorge] E[ld] for Simon Waterson, →OCLC, page 93
(intransitive) To search in a confused or mystified manner.
- But what, are you puzzling in your pockets to seek your only memorial among old play bills, letters requesting a meeting of the Faculty, rules of the Speculative Society, syllabus' of lectures—all the miscellaneous contents of a young lawyer's pocket, which contains every thing but brieves and...1818 July 25, Jedediah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], “I. Being Introductory.”, in Tales of My Landlord, Second Series, […] (The Heart of Mid-Lothian), volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James...
(intransitive) Followed by through: to solve a complicated matter, a problem, etc., by working through confusing or difficult matters.

Also used as

puzzle is also the obsolete abbreviation of puzzle-peg.

puzzle meaning in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Sanskrit

puzzle in Hindi

thing which is difficult to make sense of or understand: भेद bhed, मुअम्मा muammā, पहेली pahelī, रहस्य rahasya, राज़ rāz, समस्या samasyā

puzzle in Urdu

thing which is difficult to make sense of or understand: مُعَمَّا mu'ammā, پَہیلی pahelī, راز rāz, بھید bhed

puzzle in Bengali

thing which is difficult to make sense of or understand: ধাঁধা dhãdha, সমস্যা śomosśa

puzzle in Sanskrit

thing which is difficult to make sense of or understand: प्रहेलिका prahelikā

More languagesFewer languages

puzzle in Pashto: معما ma'mã
puzzle in Arabic: لُغْز luḡz, مُعْضِلَة muʕḍila, أُحْجِيَّة ʔuḥjiyya, بَازْل bāzl
puzzle in Indonesian: tebakan
puzzle in Thai: ปริศนา bprìt-sà-nǎa
puzzle in Vietnamese: sự bối rối, sự khó xử
puzzle in Myanmar: အမေးပုစ္ဆာ a.me:puchca, စကားထာ ca.ka:hta, ပဟေဠိ pa.heli.

Examples of puzzle in a sentence

I never thought of it before; but, now you have named it, I am all in a puzzle.1851–1853, [Elizabeth Gaskell], “‘Your Ladyship’”, in Cranford. […], 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […]...
About the painting I have a great puzzle in my head between [George] Vertue, Mr.1760 September 2 (date written), Thomas Gray, “[Essays.] Letter to [Horace] Walpole on His ‘Lives of the Painters’.”, in Edmund Gosse...
He is a puzzle to the servants, who are fearful of being too obsequious, or not civil enough, to him.1833, Elia [pseudonym; Charles Lamb], “Poor Relations”, in The Last Essays of Elia. […], London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 11:
He went away on the word, leaving me with a new mystery to think of, a new puzzle to grapple with.1897, Bram Stoker, “Dr. Seward’s Diary—continued”, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC, chapter XIII, page 182:

All 40 example sentences with puzzle

Synonyms of puzzle

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All synonyms of puzzle

Forms of puzzle

Noun
plural	puzzles
Verb
third-person singular present	puzzles
present participle	puzzling
past participle	puzzled
past	puzzled
second-person singular present (archaic)	puzzlest
second-person singular past (archaic)	puzzledst
third-person singular present (archaic)	puzzleth

Past tense of puzzle: puzzled

Plural of puzzle: puzzles

Origin of puzzle

The verb, of uncertain origin, is attested first. Apparently cognate with Scots pousle, pouzle, poozle (“to trifle; poke or potter around aimlessly; search about with uncertainty”), Saterland Frisian puzelje (“to work hard and continuously”), West Frisian peuzelje (“to trifle, work slowly; eat slowly and daintifully, snack”), Dutch peuzelen (“to perform insignificant work, dawdle; pick at, eat with relish in small pieces, snack”), German Low German pusseln (“to tinker, fiddle; trifle”) and pöseln (“to work hard, toil; to slave away; suffer at work; work slowly and ineffectively”), German posseln, bosseln (“to perform trivial work, tinker”), Danish pusle (“to busy oneself with light work or chores; to be occupied with a task requiring ingenuity, care, and patience; to tinker”), Swedish pyssla (“to do light work; tinker; putter or potter around”), Norwegian Nynorsk pusla, putla (“to potter about”), Faroese putla (“to trifle; potter about; do one's work slowly; be dilatory”), Faroese puss (“damage, trick”). * An early form of the word is pusle, which is similar to Old English puslian (“to pick out the best bits, carefully select, cull”). It is possible that the meaning of the word...

Phrases with puzzle

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Words that rhyme with puzzle

Questions about puzzle

What does puzzle mean?: Puzzle means the state of feeling confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; bewilderment, confusion; (countable) often in in a puzzle: an instance of this.
What is puzzle in Hindi?: Puzzle in Hindi is भेद (bhed), मुअम्मा (muammā), पहेली (pahelī). See Puzzle meaning in Hindi.
How do you use puzzle in a sentence?: I never thought of it before; but, now you have named it, I am all in a puzzle.
What part of speech is puzzle?: Puzzle can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce puzzle?: Puzzle is pronounced /ˈpʌzəl/ (UK).
What is the plural of puzzle?: The plural of puzzle is puzzles.

Words near puzzle in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: puzzle (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-ca-puzzle.ogg.

Cite this entry: “puzzle.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/puzzle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.