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)
noun
verb
-
to fill with incredulity or surprise; astonish
-
an obsolete word for bewilder
noun
Synonym Usage
See surprise.
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have amazedperfect
-
has amazedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have been amazingperfect progressive
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are amazingprogressive
-
am amazingprogressive 1st person singular
-
has been amazingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
is amazingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
amazessingular 3rd person
-
amazingparticiple
Past
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had amazedperfect
-
was amazingprogressive singular
-
were amazingprogressive plural
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had been amazingperfect progressive
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amazedparticiple
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amazedsimple
Future
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”; cf. maze ( def. )
Explanation
Things that amaze fill you with confusion and mystery — or they just impress you. Either way, amazing things make an impact. There are two main meanings to amaze. The first has to do with causing a feeling of puzzlement or awe. An impressive magician amazes people with tricks. Anything impressive can also amaze. A great basketball player might amaze you with a rim-rattling dunk or by hitting dozens of free throws in a row. Things that amaze also astound, astonish, and impress. Amazing things are also awesome: in the old of sense "causing awe" and the recent sense of "really cool."
Vocabulary lists containing amaze
Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
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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
No matter how many seasons I watch, it never ceases to amaze me how strong the bonds form between couples over the course of a mere 10-day period in the pods.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025
Similarly, the audience is left to wonder why this career coder has driving skills that would amaze James Bond.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
Ms Thompson says the puzzlers continue to amaze her, getting faster every year.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2025
I said sure and he said he had a differnt kind of amaze made of wood with rows skratched in it and an electrik stick like a pencil.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
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.
