[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/puzzle/)

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# puzzle

noun (puzzle, puzzles); verb (puzzle, puzzles, puzzled, puzzling)

«puzzle» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A puzzle is a game or problem you solve by thinking, like a jigsaw with many pieces, a crossword or a riddle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#m1)
2. A puzzle is something hard to understand: «Where the cat went is a puzzle». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#m2)
3. To puzzle is to make someone wonder or feel confused. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#m3)
4. To puzzle over something is to think hard about it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#m4)

### In the lessons

In maths: things counted: puzzles bought or solved, pieces in a jigsaw puzzle; also a hard question to solve; logic and number puzzles like sudoku. In science: a mystery to solve with tests. In everyday life: jigsaws, crosswords, brain teasers. In stories: «the detective was puzzled by the footprints».

### Examples

- A puzzle has 500 pieces. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#x1)
- Lily has put together 120 pieces of the puzzle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#x2)
- Each puzzle costs $8. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#x3)
- He solves 4 puzzles a day. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#x4)
- Grandpa does the crossword puzzle every morning. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#x5)
- Sudoku is a number puzzle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#x6)
- The missing cookies were a puzzle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#x7)
- The strange noise puzzled us. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#x8)
- She puzzled over the riddle for an hour. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#x9)
- He was quite puzzled when he reached the market-place. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/#x10)

### Note

Pieces of a puzzle make a total; pieces done and pieces left add up to the whole. Trap: «puzzle» counts whole games, «pieces» counts parts, do not mix them. Spelling: double «z». «Puzzled» means confused; «puzzling» means confusing.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «puzzle» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/puzzle/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«puzzle» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/puzzle.html) on Mova free.