flummox

verb

flum·​mox ˈflə-məks How to pronounce flummox (audio)
-miks
flummoxed; flummoxing; flummoxes

transitive verb

: confuse
He was flummoxed by the legal jargon.
a hapless innocent who had been flummoxed by wily city slickersAndy Logan

Did you know?

No one is completely sure where the word flummox comes from, but Charles Dickens was aware of it and used it in his 1837 novel The Pickwick Papers. It became quite common in both British and American English by the end of the 19th century.

Examples of flummox in a Sentence

an actor who's easily flummoxed by any changes in the script
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On our own, we can get flummoxed and divided by simple subtraction. Philip Maymin, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025 The sudden shift flummoxed the music industry, which had inherited a profoundly prejudiced business structure from the totalizing predation of Jim Crow. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2025 Legal experts were flummoxed and impressed by how Lively managed to get hold of the text messages in the absence of a lawsuit. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2024 Experts were at times flummoxed and impressed by how Lively managed to get hold of the text messages in the absence of a lawsuit. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for flummox 

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flummox was in 1836

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Dictionary Entries Near flummox

Cite this Entry

“Flummox.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flummox. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

flummox

verb
flum·​mox
ˈfləm-əks
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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