variants
also dumfound
as in to surprise
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
the surprise ending will dumbfound even the most seasoned mystery reader
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dumbfound
Credit: Everett Collection Sox in Lightyear Sohn as Sox, the cat-like personal companion robot for Chris Evans' Buzz Lightyear, became the unexpected standout of this 2022 movie — which still dumbfounds Sohn a bit to this day.
—
Nick Romano, EW.com, 16 June 2023
An American visionary, Anderson embraces his bourgeois adolescence with poetic accuracy: a boy floating forward to give help; a girl raising her hand to ask a question; a general revealing his ethnically specific history; everyone dumbfounded by an extraterrestrial’s appearance.
—Armond White, National Review, 16 June 2023
Photographs of Nahapetian at the film’s premiere dumbfounded a fair number of social media users, who had also mistaken the actor for a de-aged Phoenix after watching the trailer.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023
Witnesses told The Times that spectators were dumbfounded.
—Rachel Uranga, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for dumbfound
Nick Romano, EW.com, 16 June 2023
An American visionary, Anderson embraces his bourgeois adolescence with poetic accuracy: a boy floating forward to give help; a girl raising her hand to ask a question; a general revealing his ethnically specific history; everyone dumbfounded by an extraterrestrial’s appearance.
—Armond White, National Review, 16 June 2023
Photographs of Nahapetian at the film’s premiere dumbfounded a fair number of social media users, who had also mistaken the actor for a de-aged Phoenix after watching the trailer.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023
Witnesses told The Times that spectators were dumbfounded.
—Rachel Uranga, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for dumbfound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumbfound
Verb
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Coastal Mississippi is constantly surprising us, but one of its most delightful surprises is the fact that some of its beaches have white sand that rivals even Florida’s top spots.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
23 May 2025
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After shaking a few hands and taking many a selfies, the pair walked into an awaiting elevator to go surprise more ticket holders.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 May 2025
Verb
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James’s words shocked her so much that Annabelle almost ran a red light.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
19 May 2025
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The deportations — of mostly men, but also women and children — shocked many in India.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
19 May 2025
Verb
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What amazes me is how reading has affected not just me but so many others as well.—
Lynne Agress,
Baltimore Sun,
19 May 2025
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While the dazzling auroras might’ve amazed our ancestors, the weak magnetic field intensified ultraviolet and cosmic radiation.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 May 2025
Verb
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From that first puck drop, Jackson was astonished by the speed and intensity of a playoff game compared with a regular-season game.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
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Ōshima was astonished when his own wife, Akiko Koyama, expressed an interest.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
Verb
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The Juneteenth show in Texas was the culmination of an unlikely rise, literally to the clouds, for a Black woman whose courage still astounds a century later.—
Victor Luckerson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 May 2025
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But still many have been astounded by the speed with which his administration broke from decades-long defense policies.—
Jenny Jarvie,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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He’s been flabbergasted by what’s happened since 2021.—
Riley Robinson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
20 Mar. 2025
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But over the last month, since Los Angeles swung a midnight trade that flabbergasted the NBA, this clash has elevated from a one-off novelty to a plausible NBA Finals preview.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Investors are stupefied by a week of whipsawing markets, with little relief in sight.—
Jeffrey Marcus,
Forbes.com,
12 Apr. 2025
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The past proves stupefying, in fact, considering how Black people emerged out of the inhumane system of slavery and gained a semblance of equality.—
Shantay Robinson,
ARTnews.com,
3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Dumbfound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumbfound. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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