puzzle over
Try to understand
To puzzle over something is to think hard about it without reaching a clear understanding.
The phrase suggests sustained mental effort directed at something confusing or mysterious: She puzzled over the strange message for hours.
Unlike simply thinking about something, puzzling over implies genuine perplexity—the answer doesn't come easily.
- ponderThink deeply about
- mullDeliberate at length
- contemplateConsider something thoroughly
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
- enigmaSomething hard to fathom
think it through · scratch one's head · lost in thought · brood · cogitate · rack one's brains · wrestle · grapple · chew on · think hard · perplex · befuddle · mystify · conundrum · maze · muddle · unravel · decipher
- thinkingthinking, reasoning, thought, ponder, contemplate
- deliberationdeliberation, consideration, ponder, contemplate, weighing
- improve verbsfix, repair, improve, refine, enhance
certainty and confidence
puzzle overdismiss
Send away or reject
ignore · disregard · brush aside · take for granted · overlook
puzzle, puzzled, puzzling, puzzlement, puzzler, puzzles, over