baffle
verb
[ ˈbaf(ə)l ]
• totally bewilder or perplex.
• "an unexplained occurrence that baffled everyone"
Similar:
perplex,
puzzle,
bewilder,
mystify,
bemuse,
confuse,
confound,
nonplus,
disconcert,
throw,
set someone thinking,
flummox,
discombobulate,
faze,
stump,
beat,
fox,
be all Greek to,
floor,
fog,
buffalo,
wilder,
gravel,
maze,
cause to be at a stand,
pose,
obfuscate,
puzzling,
bewildering,
perplexing,
mystifying,
bemusing,
confusing,
unclear,
difficult/hard to understand,
beyond one,
above one's head,
mysterious,
enigmatic,
obscure,
abstruse,
unfathomable,
inexplicable,
incomprehensible,
impenetrable,
cryptic,
opaque,
wildering,
• restrain or regulate (a fluid, sound, etc.).
• "to baffle the noise further, I pad the gunwales"
Similar:
thwart,
frustrate,
foil,
balk,
check,
block,
hinder,
obstruct,
bar,
prevent,
deflect,
divert,
baffle
noun
• a device used to restrain the flow of a fluid, gas, etc. or to prevent the spreading of sound or light in a particular direction.
• "you can cut out glare from a strip light by concealing it behind a baffle"
Origin:
late 16th century (in the sense ‘cheat, deceive’): perhaps related to French bafouer ‘ridicule’ or obsolete French beffer ‘mock, deceive’.
