boggle

/ˈbɑgəl/

Other forms: boggled; boggling; boggles

To boggle is to amaze, astonish, or overwhelm. Your mind might boggle at all the information your physics teacher writes on the board on the first day of class.

You'll most likely find this verb in sentences like "My brain boggles at the outfit she decided to wear to the party," or "When you watch this movie, your mind will boggle at the special effects." Along with the even more common adjective mind-boggling, boggle comes from the Middle English bugge, or "specter." Boggle originally meant "spook," or "start with fright."

Definitions of boggle

1. verb

   overcome with amazement
   “This boggles the mind!”

   synonyms: bowl over, flabbergast

   type of:

   surprise

   cause to be surprised
2. verb

   startle with amazement or fear
   type of:

   jump, start, startle

   move or jump suddenly, as if in surprise or alarm
3. verb

   hesitate when confronted with a problem, or when in doubt or fear
   type of:

   hesitate, waffle, waver

   pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness