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boggle

American  
[bog-uhl] / ˈbɒg əl /

verb (used with object)

boggled, boggling

  1. to overwhelm or bewilder, as with magnitude, complexity, or strangeness.

    The speed of light boggles the mind.

  2. to bungle; botch.

verb (used without object)

boggled, boggling

  1. to hesitate or waver because of scruples, fear, etc.

  2. to start or jump with fear, alarm, or surprise; shrink; shy.

  3. to bungle awkwardly.

  4. to be overwhelmed or bewildered.

noun

  1. an act of shying or taking alarm.

  2. a mess; a bungle or botch.

  3. Archaic. a scruple; demur; hesitation.

boggle British  
/ ˈbɒɡəl /

verb

  1. to be surprised, confused, or alarmed (esp in the phrase the mind boggles )

  2. to hesitate or be evasive when confronted with a problem

  3. (tr) to baffle; bewilder; puzzle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • bogglingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of boggle

First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps from bogle

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.