amaze
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to overwhelm with surprise or sudden wonder; astonish greatly.
It will never cease to amaze me how fast children grow.
She was amazed that someone could be serious about something so incredibly absurd.
- Synonyms:
- flabbergast, stun, dumbfound, astound
-
Obsolete. to bewilder; perplex.
verb (used without object)
-
to cause amazement.
The museum has a new art show that delights and amazes.
noun
-
Archaic. amazement.
verb
-
to fill with incredulity or surprise; astonish
-
an obsolete word for bewilder
noun
-
an archaic word for amazement
Related Words
See surprise.
Etymology
Origin of amaze
First recorded before 1000; from Middle English amasen, from Old English āmasian “to confuse, stun, astonish,” equivalent to a- 3, + unattested *masian “to confuse”; maze ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The seemingly limitless proliferation of cases in which lawyers have been caught letting fictitious AI-generated legal citations contaminate their briefs continues to amaze.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
Beneath the magnificent frescoes of the Clementine Hall, Pope Leo spoke in Italian to praise the power of cinema to entertain and to educate – and for its "capacity to amaze".
From BBC • Nov. 15, 2025
Meagan’s awed expressions clearly demonstrated that as much as you know a place, you can always find more to amaze you.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025
Sometimes people think, “Oh, it must be easy to amaze kids.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2025
“Really, Sticky, you amaze me! A trap is for catching things—or people.”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.