How to Use perplex in a Sentence

perplex

verb
  • Questions about the meaning of life have always perplexed humankind.
  • But I was perplexed last year to hear the new verb to adult.
    Ben Sasse, WSJ, 5 May 2017
  • At the time, Schindler was perplexed and a little stunned.
    Georgann Yara, azcentral, 5 Jan. 2020
  • He's still perplexed by the secret of the show's longevity.
    Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 5 June 2024
  • The shift to tight end in his final season with the Longhorns perplexed him.
    Aaron Wilson, Houston Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2018
  • Commenters are perplexed by how the mammal came to be in the water in the first place.
    National Geographic, 28 June 2017
  • As the years went on and no follow-up seemed to be on the horizon, many fans were perplexed.
    Josh Rottenberg, latimes.com, 26 Apr. 2018
  • The greens at Quail Hollow have perplexed Woods all week.
    Steve Reed, chicagotribune.com, 5 May 2018
  • But as to why this is the case, Bloom and his fellow researchers are perplexed.
    Byjane Thier, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2023
  • But in the rush, many consumers have been puzzled and perplexed.
    Robert Pear, New York Times, 11 Dec. 2017
  • Most humans would stand there perplexed with what to do.
    IEEE Spectrum, 10 Apr. 2023
  • The first thing that tends to perplex most parents is our sleep schedule.
    cleveland, 2 May 2020
  • This man, for instance, was perplexed by the a version of the African Ball Puzzle for around 10 years.
    Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, 17 Feb. 2017
  • For 80 years, the mystery of what in the hell happened to Amelia Earhart on her round-the-world journey has perplexed the public.
    Dayna Evans, The Cut, 5 July 2017
  • The Spurs’ success on the road continues to perplex them.
    Tom Orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Apr. 2021
  • But Thomas, who will miss the start of the season because of a hip injury, is still perplexed by his trade from the Celtics.
    Paul Doyle, courant.com, 12 Oct. 2017
  • Dan was perplexed by his son’s knee as the Gophers were practicing for the Texas Bowl in 2013.
    Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 3 June 2017
  • Hardin said his son was perplexed when the crowd rose to its feet in the late innings that day to cheer for Astros starter Nolan Ryan.
    David Barron, Houston Chronicle, 9 Feb. 2018
  • The checkout girl, a sweet-faced kid with a wedding ring and lacquered black hair, was perplexed.
    Chris Rush, Harper's magazine, 19 Aug. 2019
  • His sessions with Trump left him perplexed, Emanuel says.
    Susan Page, USA TODAY, 27 June 2017
  • And Democrats just sat there, turning their sock heads this way and that, moving their mouths, perplexed.
    John Kass, Twin Cities, 18 June 2017
  • She is perplexed that her team’s work might serve as a model for other cities.
    Priya Krishna, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2023
  • Pollard said the girls at the starting line were perplexed by all the cheering before their race.
    Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2023
  • Otherwise, the choice to have Levine strip and sing songs no one has cared about for 15 years was perplexing.
    oregonlive, 22 Jan. 2020
  • The method of the contagion has been perplexing to experts.
    Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 5 Mar. 2020
  • That’s a question that tends to perplex people who write about TV for a living.
    Time, 10 Nov. 2022
  • But fans were perplexed when the number eight was left out of the squad altogether in Sheffield.
    SI.com, 2 Oct. 2019
  • Americans are right to look at this last-minute chaos and be perplexed and upset.
    James Pindell, BostonGlobe.com, 26 May 2023
  • The rise of the Christian minion memes on TikTok and, to some extent, Instagram, has perplexed many on the internet.
    Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2024
  • Medeiros’ father, Ricky Medeiros, said he is completely perplexed by his son’s situation.
    Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 June 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perplex.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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