as in to perplex
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
an actor who's easily flummoxed by any changes in the script
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Recent Examples of flummox
In 2018, then-Bears defense coordinator Vic Fangio and his players flummoxed the Rams and sent them to a 15-6 defeat.
—
Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Coach Mike Macdonald's defensive unit flummoxed a 49ers offense that had been the NFL's most potent since Brock Purdy returned from an injury in Week 11.
—CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
The two years of tangled litigation that has followed flummoxed those who know Uhlfelder best.
—Dan Sullivan, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
Colorado's power play trouble has been a talking point all season, and this was yet another night where the Avalanche was clearly the superior team at even strength, but playing with an extra skater flummoxed them.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flummox
Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Coach Mike Macdonald's defensive unit flummoxed a 49ers offense that had been the NFL's most potent since Brock Purdy returned from an injury in Week 11.
—CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
The two years of tangled litigation that has followed flummoxed those who know Uhlfelder best.
—Dan Sullivan, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
Colorado's power play trouble has been a talking point all season, and this was yet another night where the Avalanche was clearly the superior team at even strength, but playing with an extra skater flummoxed them.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flummox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flummox
Verb
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The moment became viral on social media, with some X users perplexed at the interview.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
11 Feb. 2026
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That’s perplexing to Alvarez and Oakley, given that Cal State tuition is still relatively low, despite recent annual tuition hikes.—
Cal Matters,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Oswalt confesses being bewildered by Bamford at first.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
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No matter what the reasons, Belichick, his former Patriots players and NFL fans, are bewildered by the snub.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Patagonia’s proprietary synthetic fill imitates down’s structure by spinning air-trapping microfilaments around a central fiber and requires fewer stabilizing seams and baffles than down.—
Kelly Bastone,
Outside,
10 Feb. 2026
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Even Proctor’s defense attorney seemed baffled by the district attorney’s office’s handling of the case.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The citizens of Texas are confusing hospitality for complacency.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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To give my permission to be sad, to be angry, to be confused.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He was puzzled by friends who bought band T-shirts and obsessed over concerts.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
11 Feb. 2026
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Yes, Tuesday night’s concert was also occasionally puzzling in its choices.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He was less intimidated by its befuddling organization and had grown accustomed to the antiquated spellings and the nearly illegible, unpunctuated scribblings of harried seventeenth-century officials.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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And any Rams fan who was around for that game probably remembers Dieter Brock, and the irony that the quarterback the Rams brought in from the Canadian Football League was befuddled by winds that reached up to 23 mph, to go with 36 degree temperatures and 26-degree wind chill.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
17 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flummox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flummox. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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