puzzle out
Work it through
To puzzle out something is to work through a problem or mystery until you reach understanding or a solution.
It suggests effort and persistence—you don't immediately see the answer but arrive at it through careful thought or investigation.
It took me a while to puzzle out what she meant by that remark.
We finally puzzled out how to assemble the bookshelf without the instructions.
- make sense ofGrasp the meaning
- decipherConvert code to plaintext
- crackNarrow break or attempt
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
- decodeConvert from cipher
crack the code · solve · unravel · piece · put together · connect the dots · guess · fathom · reasoning · lateral thinking · think through · think hard · infer · understand · trace · brain teaser · mull over · sleep on it
- problem-solvingproblem solving, riddles, logic, solutions, answers
- investigatinginvestigate, examine, inspect, probe, search
- thinkingthinking, reasoning, thought, ponder, contemplate
- inventinvent, devise, create, conceive, come up with
- understandingunderstand, comprehend, grasp, fathom, follow
- fixesfix, repair, mend, correction, correct
puzzle outspell out
Explain in detail
clarify · elucidate · explicate · demystify · illuminate
puzzle outgive up on
abandon · throw in the towel · walk away from · ignore · dismiss
puzzle, out, puzzled, puzzling, puzzles, puzzlement, unpuzzling, unpuzzled