puzzle

verb

• cause (someone) to feel confused because they cannot understand something:she was puzzled by the doctor’s manner
• [no object] think hard about something because one cannot understand it:she was still puzzling over this problem when she reached the office
• (puzzle something out) solve or understand something by thinking hard: she was trying to puzzle out who the speakers were

noun

• 1a game, toy, or problem designed to test ingenuity or knowledge: those who solve this puzzle in the shortest time are eligible for awards a book with picture puzzles
• a jigsaw puzzle: figurativeso the pieces of the puzzle fall into place

• 2a person or thing that is difficult to understand or explain; an enigma:the meaning of the poem has always been a puzzle