baffle.
To confuse or perplex (someone) completely; to bewilder, to confound, to puzzle.
Meaning & usage
To confuse or perplex (someone) completely; to bewilder, to confound, to puzzle.
I am baffled by the contradictions and omissions in the instructions.
They were baffled as to how the confusion could have arisen.
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.
The ship, baffling with the winds, moved not an inch.
To argue or complain in a petty or trivial manner; to quibble.
Where this word comes from
The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly: * from French bafouer, baffoüer (“to abuse, revile; to confuse, baffle; to deceive; to flout; to scorn”), imitative of someone making a disdainful sound by expelling air quickly through pouted lips (compare Occitan baf (interjection expressing disdain)); or * from French befer, beffer, beffler (“(obsolete) to deceive; to mock, ridicule”) (compare Old French befe, beffe, buffe (“deception; mockery”); beferie (“deceit; quibbling”)), possibly from bafouer: see above. The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates * Italian beffare (“(verb) to deride, mock”), beffa (“(noun) banter; mockery”) * Occitan bafar (“(verb) to deride, mock”), bafa (“(noun) banter; mockery”) * Old Spanish bafa (modern Spanish befa (“(noun) banter; mockery”)) * Spanish befar (“(verb) to deride, mock”)
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.
Tanker trucks use baffles to keep the liquids inside from sloshing around.
A lever for operating the throttle valve of a winding engine.
A device to prevent the spreading of sound or light.
sound baffle
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.
Where this word comes from
The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly: * from French bafouer, baffoüer (“to abuse, revile; to confuse, baffle; to deceive; to flout; to scorn”), imitative of someone making a disdainful sound by expelling air quickly through pouted lips (compare Occitan baf (interjection expressing disdain)); or * from French befer, beffer, beffler (“(obsolete) to deceive; to mock, ridicule”) (compare Old French befe, beffe, buffe (“deception; mockery”); beferie (“deceit; quibbling”)), possibly from bafouer: see above. The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates * Italian beffare (“(verb) to deride, mock”), beffa (“(noun) banter; mockery”) * Occitan bafar (“(verb) to deride, mock”), bafa (“(noun) banter; mockery”) * Old Spanish bafa (modern Spanish befa (“(noun) banter; mockery”)) * Spanish befar (“(verb) to deride, mock”)
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.
Where this word comes from
The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly from Scots bauchle (“to annoy; to cause harm or trouble to; to disgrace; to jilt; to treat with contempt”), from bauchle (“useless or worn-out person or thing; clumsy work, bungle; clumsy or untidy person; contemptible person; laughing stock”); further etymology uncertain, possibly related to bauch (“feeble, sorry; backward, foolish”, adjective), possibly related to Old Norse bagr (“awkward, clumsy”), bāgr (“hard up, poor; uneasy”) The noun is derived from the verb.
Intentional insult; affront; also, disgrace; (countable) an instance of this.
Where this word comes from
The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly from Scots bauchle (“to annoy; to cause harm or trouble to; to disgrace; to jilt; to treat with contempt”), from bauchle (“useless or worn-out person or thing; clumsy work, bungle; clumsy or untidy person; contemptible person; laughing stock”); further etymology uncertain, possibly related to bauch (“feeble, sorry; backward, foolish”, adjective), possibly related to Old Norse bagr (“awkward, clumsy”), bāgr (“hard up, poor; uneasy”) The noun is derived from the verb.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.