verb

flummox

FLUM-uks/ˈflʌməks/

To confuse someone completely.

The tangled metal puzzle flummoxes the woman as she studies its interlocking loops.

A woman is utterly bewildered by a tangled mechanical disentanglement puzzle: she holds its interlocked metal loops in front of her, staring between the incompatible pieces with raised, knitted brows and a helpless open hand.

Etymology

Early slang used the word for beating people so as to bewilder them, giving a vivid physical counterpart to complete mental confusion. Its origin remains uncertain.

More examples

Her unexpected question flummoxes me for a moment.
I was completely flummoxed by the new parking meter.
The puzzle is flummoxing everyone at the table.

Forms

flummox · flummoxes · flummoxed · flummoxing

Similar words

bewilder: Emphasizes feeling lost or disoriented, not merely unable to understand.
baffle: Often emphasizes difficulty finding an explanation or solving a problem.
confuse: Covers milder uncertainty as well as complete bewilderment.