puzzle

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puz·zle / ˈpəzəl/ • v. [tr.] cause (someone) to feel confused because they cannot understand or make sense of something: one remark he made puzzled me| [as adj.] (puzzling) that was the most puzzling aspect of the whole affair. ∎  [intr.] think hard about something difficult to understand or explain: she was still puzzling over this problem when she reached the office. ∎  (puzzle something out) solve or understand something by thinking hard.• n. a game, toy, or problem designed to test ingenuity or knowledge. ∎ short for jigsaw puzzle (see jigsaw). ∎  [usu. in sing.] a person or thing that is difficult to understand or explain; an enigma: the meaning of the poem has always been a puzzle.DERIVATIVES: puz·zle·ment n.puz·zling·ly / ˈpəz(ə)ling/ adv.

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