baffle

/ˈbæfl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbæfl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈba-fəl/ (ame, mw)

baffle — verb

1. to leave a person so puzzled by something strange or hard that they cannot work

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to leave a person so puzzled by something strange or hard that they cannot work out an answer or give an explanation for it.

例句

The strange noise in the kitchen wall baffled Ilya for a whole week.

baffle + person as object

Detectives are baffled by the disappearance of the gold ring from the locked safe.

passive: be baffled by + noun

同義詞
  • puzzle

    everyday and neutral; weaker than 'baffle', which suggests total inability to explain

  • perplex

    more formal; emphasises mental hesitation rather than complete defeat

  • bewilder

    stresses a feeling of being lost, often among too many options or too much information

  • mystify

    highlights an air of mystery or magic around the cause

反義詞
  • enlighten

    to make something clear to someone, the opposite outcome

  • clarify

    to remove the confusion that 'baffle' creates

文法句型

baffle + somebody

be baffled by + something

用法筆記

Frequently passive (be baffled by). Subject of the active form is usually an event, problem, or piece of behaviour, and the object is the person who cannot make sense of it.

常見錯誤

❌I baffled the question.
✅The question baffled me.
💡the puzzling thing is the subject; the confused person is the object.
❌She is baffling about the answer.
✅She is baffled about the answer.
💡use the past participle 'baffled' for the person who feels confused; 'baffling' describes the thing causing the confusion.

baffle — noun