befuddle

The absurdist’s power rests in their ability to befuddle and bewilder, trusting the joke will land with the right folks and insult their target’s intelligence.

From Salon ● May 21, 2026

Today’s pitchers befuddle hitters with velocity and spin rate while exiting before 100 pitches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Intricate pre-plotted plays befuddle defences with a blizzard of runners, while they shift the ball with a cardsharp's speed and dexterity.

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2025

Even in the sunlight, the shadows and glare can befuddle landing cameras and sensors.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 8, 2024

It had been work, exhilarating but exhausting all the same, constantly having to befuddle building supers and bellhops and nosy neighbors just for a place to sleep.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Here’s what befuddles him right now: There isn’t much to fix regarding the way the Hurricanes are playing against the Florida Panthers.

From Washington Times ● May 23, 2023

Sauerkraut fish soup has been popular in southwest China and in other parts of Asia since the 1990s, but the English translation of “sauerkraut fish” befuddles some western diners.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 5, 2022

He has constructed a glossy fever dream that bewitches as much as it befuddles.

From Salon ● May 20, 2022

“Something better” is a mind-set that befuddles many first-time buyers.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 20, 2022

Grape-growers are not in the fog that befuddles growers of tree-fruits in regard to tillage.

From Manual of American Grape-Growing by U. P. Hedrick

As the camera scans the crowd—the one at Oklahoma State University’s McKnight Center for the Performing Arts last February—we see some befuddled faces, all under 40 years of age.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

"I feel like whoever it is, they are five sreps ahead of us," noted a befuddled Leigh-Anne.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

An investor employing cold logic like a Vulcan in “Star Trek” would be befuddled by what he is currently seeing.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Russell’s befuddled Jackson is as useless as a traffic cone but Blunt’s Margaret is a gas before the movie makes her go all glassy-eyed and solemn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

Then, obviously befuddled, he asked, “Was Harold with me? Can you tell me that?”

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Tehran is doing just that, shifting its stance and shrinking the list of acceptable terms, befuddling American mediators in Geneva, Islamabad and Muscat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Even when her film is utterly befuddling, it’s a joy to behold.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026

Many of the most befuddling stocks reviewed by Barron’s are holding companies incorporated in the Cayman Islands or the British Virgin Islands with investors or subsidiaries that are also Caribbean holding companies.

From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025

"Zhao's ban has been served and he is perfectly entitled to be competing again, but I've found the flowery language since his return somewhat befuddling given the circumstances," said snooker journalist Nick Metcalfe.

From BBC ● May 3, 2025

It was harder to feel scared of a lump of tea leaves away from the dim red light and befuddling perfume of Professor Trelawney’s classroom.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling