dumbfound

D2U1M3B3F4O1U1N1D2
UK/ˌdʌmˈfaʊnd/UK/ˈdʌm.faʊnd/

verb

To confuse and bewilder; to leave speechless.

Similar
strike dumbflabbergastperplexvexstickgetpuzzlemystify
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

verbdumbfound (third-person singular simple present dumbfounds, present participle dumbfounding, simple past and past participle dumbfounded)

present singular third person dumbfounds · participle present dumbfounding · participle past dumbfounded · past dumbfounded · alternative dumfound

  1. transitiveTo confuse and bewilder; to leave speechless.

    A bunch of nice, middle-class women debated on how to "rescue" prostitutes from their "terrible" fate. By invitation, the conference was attended by a number of prostitutes, who dumbfounded those nice, bourgeois ladies by making it clear that they had no desire whatever to be "rescued"

    1989 December 3, Franklin Kameny, “Prostitution: Good, Right, And Desirable”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 21, page 5

    Synonyms: strike dumb, flabbergast

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo confuse and bewilder; to leave speechless.

Similar
strike dumbflabbergast

More synonyms by meaning

verbbe a mystery or bewildering to

Similar
perplexvexstickgetpuzzlemystifybafflebeatposebewilderflummoxstupefynonplusgravelamaze
Broader
confusethrowfox
Also see
amazebafflebeatbewilderconfuseflummoxgetgravelmystifynonplusperplexposepuzzlestickstrike dumbstupefyvex

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Blend of dumb + confound.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian смайвам, слисвам
  • смайвам (smajvam)to confuse and bewilder
  • слисвам (slisvam)to confuse and bewilder
Danish forbløffe, lamslå
  • forbløffeto confuse and bewilder
  • lamslåto confuse and bewilder
Dutch verstomd doen staan
  • verstomd doen staanto confuse and bewilder
Finnish mykistää, lyödä ällikällä
  • mykistääto confuse and bewilder
  • lyödä ällikälläto confuse and bewilder
French abasourdir
  • abasourdirto confuse and bewilder
Italian sbigottire
  • sbigottireto confuse and bewilder
Latin obstupefaciō
  • obstupefaciōto confuse and bewilder
Māori whakahanepī
  • whakahanepīto confuse and bewilder
Polish odbierać mowę, odebrać mowę
  • odbierać mowęto confuse and bewilder
  • odebrać mowęto confuse and bewilder
Portuguese pasmar
  • pasmarto confuse and bewilder
Russian ошеломлять, ошарашивать
  • ошеломлять (ošelomljatʹ)to confuse and bewilder
  • ошарашивать (ošarašivatʹ)to confuse and bewilder
Spanish dejar boquiabierto, dejar pasmado
  • dejar boquiabiertoto confuse and bewilder
  • dejar pasmadoto confuse and bewilder
Cite this entry
APA

dumbfound. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dumbfound

MLA

“dumbfound.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dumbfound. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dumbfound,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dumbfound.

Source: dumbfound on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.