riddle
/ˈrɪdəl/
verb
- To make many holes in something, often by shooting or piercing.
- Termites had riddled the wooden beam, making it weak.
- The storm riddled the sail with tiny tears from the hail.
- The old target was riddled with bullet holes after practice.
- To fill or spread something with many problems, flaws, or unwanted things (usually used in the passive form 'riddled with').
- His speech was riddled with contradictions that confused the audience.
- The report was riddled with errors and had to be rewritten.
- The old house was riddled with mold and needed major repairs.
- To solve or explain a riddle; to speak in riddles.
- He spent the evening riddling with his friends over dinner.
- The wise woman riddled with the travelers, testing their wits.
- Stop riddling and just tell me what you mean.
Synonyms
noun
- A question or statement that is difficult to understand and usually has a clever or surprising answer, often used as a game or puzzle.
- The teacher gave the class a riddle: 'What has keys but can't open locks?'
- The ancient riddle about the Sphinx has been told for thousands of years.
- He loved telling riddles at parties to see who could solve them first.
- Something that is mysterious or hard to explain.
- Why the ship disappeared remains a riddle to this day.
- The scientist called the strange signal a riddle of the universe.
- Her sudden change in mood was a riddle no one could solve.