Meaning

3 senses

  1. (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.

  2. (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.

    Rätsel

    зага́дкаzagádka, затрудне́ниеzatrudnénije

    зага́дкаzahádka

  3. (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

    Puzzle, Geduldspiel, Geduldsspiel

    пазлpazl, головоло́мкаgolovolómka

    пазлpazl, головоло́мкаholovolómka

More definitions
  • a game that tests your ingenuity
  • a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution

Examples

484 sentences

  1. No one could solve the puzzle.

    Ніхто не зміг розв'язати цю загадку. — deniko

    ruНикто не смог разгадать загадку. — marafon

    deNiemand konnte das Rätsel lösen. — clarimariath

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. I doubt if Tom will be puzzled.

    Сумніваюся, що Том буде збентежений. — deniko

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. Tom likes crossword puzzles.

    Тому подобаються кросворди. — rmdas

    ruТому нравятся кроссворды. — odexed

    deTom mag Kreuzworträtsel. — pullnosemans

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · C1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. Can you solve this puzzle?

    Ти можеш розгадати цю загадку? — fagott

    ruВы можете решить эту загадку? — odexed

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. Tom is puzzled.

    Том дивується. — deniko

    ruТом озадачен. — odexed

    deTom ist verwirrt. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 2
thing which is difficult to make sense of or understand:
game or toy, or problem, requiring some effort to complete or work out, which is intended as a pastime and/or to test one’s mental ability:
Русский
By meaning 2
thing which is difficult to make sense of or understand:
game or toy, or problem, requiring some effort to complete or work out, which is intended as a pastime and/or to test one’s mental ability:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
thing which is difficult to make sense of or understand:
game or toy, or problem, requiring some effort to complete or work out, which is intended as a pastime and/or to test one’s mental ability:

Origin

The verb, of uncertain origin, is attested first. Apparently cognate with Scots pousle, po

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”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

plural: puzzles
Singularpuzzle
Pluralpuzzles

regular

Synonyms

12 synonyms
mysteryA2bafflementperplexityanybody's guessanyone's guessconundrumcruxbrainteaserposer
Close in meaning

Word family

30 related words
Derivedbefuzzlebepuzzleconfuzzleempuzzlelawyer's puzzlemetapuzzlemonkey puzzlepuzzle boxpuzzle canonpuzzle cubepuzzledompuzzle feederpuzzlefestpuzzle gamepuzzleheadpuzzleheadedpuzzlehuntpuzzle jugpuzzlelesspuzzlelikepuzzle lockpuzzlemasterpuzzle-pegpuzzle ring

Lessons for this word

1 lessons

Collocations

12 patterns
  • solve the puzzle
  • solve this puzzle
  • crossword puzzles
  • a bit puzzled
  • jigsaw puzzle
  • bit puzzled
  • was puzzled by
  • solving puzzles
  • looked puzzled
  • was very puzzled
  • seemed puzzled
  • this puzzle is

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
puttyputzpuzzlementpwnpygmalion
puzzle — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto