baffle

Plural: baffles

Noun

• a flat plate that controls or directs the flow of fluid or energy
• A device used to dampen, muffle, restrain, or otherwise control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid such as light or sound; specifically, a surface positioned inside an open area to inhibit direct motion from one place to another without preventing motion altogether.
• A lever for operating the throttle valve of a winding engine.
• A barrier designed to obstruct and confuse enemies, rendering them vulnerable.
• An argument or objection based on an ambiguity of wording or similar trivial circumstance; a minor complaint; a quibble.
• Intentional insult; affront; also, disgrace; (countable) an instance of this.

Verb

Verb Forms: baffled, baffling, baffles

• To totally bewilder or perplex someone.
• be a mystery or bewildering to
• hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
• check the emission of (sound)
• To confuse or perplex (someone) completely; to bewilder, to confound, to puzzle.
• To defeat, frustrate, or thwart (someone or their efforts, plans, etc.); to confound, to foil.
• To defeat, frustrate, or thwart (someone or their efforts, plans, etc.); to confound, to foil.
• Of weather or wind: to hinder or prevent (a ship or its crew) from advancing.
• To dampen, muffle, restrain, or otherwise control (a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid such as light or sound).
• To deceive or hoodwink (someone); to gull.
• Followed by away or out: to deprive of (something) through cheating or manipulation; also (followed by out of), to deprive of something by cheating or manipulating (someone).
• To expend effort or struggle in vain.
• To argue or complain in a petty or trivial manner; to quibble.
• To publicly disgrace (someone); specifically, a recreant knight.
• To treat (someone) with contempt; to disgrace; also, to speak of (someone or something) in contemptuous terms; to speak ill of, to vilify.

Examples

• His opponent’s move to play ’XI’ for 22 points managed to baffle everyone.
• I am baffled by the contradictions and omissions in the instructions.
• sound baffle
• Tanker trucks use baffles to keep the liquids inside from sloshing around.
• The ship, baffling with the winds, moved not an inch.
• They were baffled as to how the confusion could have arisen.

Synonyms

amaze, baffle board, beat, bewilder, bilk, cross, dumbfound, flummox, foil, frustrate, get, gravel, mystify, nonplus, perplex, pose, puzzle, queer, regulate, scotch, spoil, stick, stupefy, thwart, vex, baffle, baffound, bamboozle, bedevil, befuddle, bemuse, bring down, bumfuzzle, chew up, complicate, confound, confuddle, confuse, confuzzle, dazzle, discombobulate, disconcert, eat someone for breakfast, eat someone's lunch, ferhoodle, flabagast, flabbergast, flabbergaster, flurry, fluster, fuddle, humble, jumble, kick ass, knot, lose, maffle, mix up, murdelize, outfox, outguess, outrun, outsmart, outwit, overcome, overpower, overwin, own, pulverise, pwn, spank, steal the show, subdue, subvert, surmount, thrash, throw, trounce, vanquish

Antonyms

clarify, enlighten, unbaffle

Anagrams of baffle