# puzzle

/ˈpəzəɫ/ (US) · /pˈʌzəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/puzzle
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. a game or toy

noun · CEFR A2

a game, toy, or problem that you solve for fun to test your mental skills.

For teachers: a game, toy, or problem designed to test ingenuity or knowledge.

- She spent the rainy afternoon finishing a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle of the Eiffel Tower.
- The Sunday newspaper features a cryptic crossword puzzle that challenges even the most literate readers with its complex wordplay.

### 2. a mystery or enigma

noun · CEFR B1

something or someone that is very difficult to understand or explain.

For teachers: a person or thing that is difficult to understand or interpret; an enigma.

- The sudden disappearance of the ship remains a puzzle to investigators many years later.
- His contradictory behavior is a complete puzzle to his colleagues, who find it impossible to predict his reactions in meetings.

### 3. state of confusion

noun · CEFR B2

the feeling of being confused because you cannot understand something.

For teachers: the state of being perplexed or confused by a complicated matter.

- He looked at the strange instructions in puzzle, wondering if they were written in the wrong language.
- The scientists were in a state of puzzle over the data, as the results contradicted every established law of physics.

### 4. to confuse someone

verb · CEFR B1

to make someone feel confused or worried because they cannot understand something.

For teachers: to cause someone to feel confused or perplexed. Transitive — takes a direct object.

- The complicated math problem seemed to puzzle even the teacher for a moment.
- The sudden shift in market trends continues to puzzle economists, who had predicted a period of steady growth.

### 5. to think hard about

verb · CEFR B2

to think very hard for a long time to try to understand or solve something.

For teachers: to think deeply or exert mental effort to resolve a problem. Often used with 'over' or 'about'.

- I had to puzzle over the map for ten minutes before I realized we were going the wrong way.
- The detectives spent weeks puzzling over the cryptic note left at the scene, hoping it would lead them to the suspect.

Usage: Often takes the prepositions 'over' or 'about'.

## Examples

- I spent all afternoon finishing a difficult jigsaw puzzle.
- The police are trying to solve the puzzle of how the thief entered the locked building without an alarm.
- The sudden disappearance of the colony remains a biological puzzle that researchers have struggled to explain despite decades of rigorous field study and genetic analysis.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.