dazzle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
dazzles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dazzled,
past participle, past
-
dazzling
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
dazzles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dazzled,
past participle, past
-
dazzling
present participle
-
to shine or reflect brilliantly.
gems dazzling in the sunlight.
-
to be overpowered by light.
Her eyes dazzled in the glare.
-
to excite admiration by brilliance.
Once one is accustomed to such splendor, it no longer dazzles.
noun
-
dazzles
plural
-
an act or instance of dazzling.
the dazzle of the spotlights.
-
something that dazzles.
verb
-
(usually tr) to blind or be blinded partially and temporarily by sudden excessive light
-
to amaze, as with brilliance
she was dazzled by his wit
she dazzles in this film
noun
-
bright light that dazzles
-
bewilderment caused by glamour, brilliance, etc
the dazzle of fame
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
dazzlernoun
-
overdazzleverb
-
outdazzleverb (used with object)
-
undazzledadjective
-
undazzlingadjective
-
dazzlinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dazzlesimple
-
dazzlessimple
-
have dazzledperfect
-
has dazzledperfect
-
am dazzlingprogressive
-
are dazzlingprogressive
-
is dazzlingprogressive
-
have been dazzlingperfect progressive
-
has been dazzlingperfect progressive
Past
-
dazzledsimple
-
had dazzledperfect
-
was dazzlingprogressive
-
were dazzlingprogressive
-
had been dazzlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dazzle
Explanation
To dazzle is to blind someone for a moment with light, like a deer in the headlights. You can also dazzle by impressing people, and not just by wearing a sparkly sequined shirt. Have you ever had a light shine in your face so you couldn't see for a second? You were dazzled. To dazzle is to blind someone in this way. A car's high-beam lights can dazzle other drivers. Looking directly at the sun is a way to dazzle yourself. Dazzling puts you in a daze for a second. Also, anything impressive can dazzle. A great writer dazzles readers. An impressive speaker dazzles listeners. It's like you're blinded by their brilliance.
Vocabulary lists containing dazzle
Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Two Left Feet, Two Left Hands, and Too Left on the Bench"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 5, Academic Vocabulary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Getting investors to look past the dazzle of artificial intelligence and data centers toward ordinary roads, bridges and cell towers is a fairly tall order these days.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Fireworks may dazzle crowds with brilliant colors and loud explosions, but new research suggests their effects continue long after the show ends.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 4, 2026
Young people deserve better than "warmed-over revivals missing all of the pep, colour and dazzle of their predecessors", he concluded.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
That’s how you open their hearts and lower their walls: You dazzle them.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
“Of course, one of the four teams with a single medal could dazzle us all and sweep the final two competitions. It’s still possible that this thing could end in a three-way tie.”
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
The troublesome Queen of the Night dazzles with high notes that shoot out like daggers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Invariably, an attendee’s ability surprises and dazzles the others.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
Ms Edwards said: "It's really amazing. I was hoping that we had a chance – certainly I've been gearing Poykee up and making sure that he dazzles the judges and his personality shines through."
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2025
While Dessner's work dazzles in "The Anthology," and Antonoff's production in "Tortured Poets" lacks variety and mystery, it raises the question if the singer will ever tap other producers to work on her new music.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2024
Each is foreshadowed by an earlier century, but dazzles into full prominence in the twentieth.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Fast forward two days and there were tears of joy as she dazzled to become Wales' first winner of these Commonwealth Games with victory in the floor final.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
I noticed the slight negativity but was mostly dazzled that a man texted immediately after the date to say he liked me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Nope, says a crack team of Nomura analysts who dazzled some on social media with a 119-page deep dive into the sector that was published Tuesday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
At another point, he brought Trump a gold pager to the White House, which dazzled the president, officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
From a distance the trees along the edge of the beech hanger appeared full of great, dense shadows, impenetrable to the dazzled eye.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
In July 1986, workers at a brick factory in southwestern China were digging for clay when they hit upon something unexpected: dozens of dazzling pieces of jade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
A solar eclipse, one of the year's most popular meteor showers, a dazzling evening appearance by Venus, and a lunar eclipse will fill August with memorable celestial events.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
He achieved this by observing the effect of a light-bending phenomenon called gravitational lensing on the stars that became visible while the Sun's dazzling light was obscured.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
But after 19-year-old Littler reeled off five legs in a row, there proved to be no way back for Rock as the defending champion, in dazzling form, cruised into the semi-finals.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
When the last dazzling display of fireworks faded from the sky, the crowd carried paper lanterns to the banks of the Ohta River.
From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr
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.
