puzzle over

phrasal verb

puzzled over; puzzling over; puzzles over

: to think or worry for a long time about (something)

He's been puzzling over what went wrong.

Examples of puzzle over in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Economists, political scientists and sociologists have all puzzled over this phenomenon of how a country that is rich in resources can be so abysmally underdeveloped and stricken by conflict? —Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025

Scientists have long puzzled over the Lapedo child’s curious blend of human and Neanderthal traits. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2025

By Raja Shehadeh Save In this short, pained meditation, Shehadeh, a renowned Palestinian writer and human rights advocate, puzzles over the conflict that has defined his life. —Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025

Back to the future Rather than dig up fossils of bones, the scientists of the future will likely puzzle over technofossils such as wind turbines, cell phones and other vestiges of our current reality. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for puzzle over

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover