dazzle
Americanverb (used with object)
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dazzles,
present (3rd person singular)
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dazzled,
past participle, past
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dazzling
present participle
verb (used without object)
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dazzles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dazzled,
past participle, past
-
dazzling
present participle
-
to shine or reflect brilliantly.
gems dazzling in the sunlight.
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to be overpowered by light.
Her eyes dazzled in the glare.
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to excite admiration by brilliance.
Once one is accustomed to such splendor, it no longer dazzles.
noun
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dazzles
plural
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an act or instance of dazzling.
the dazzle of the spotlights.
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something that dazzles.
verb
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(usually tr) to blind or be blinded partially and temporarily by sudden excessive light
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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
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dazzlernoun
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overdazzleverb
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outdazzleverb (used with object)
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undazzledadjective
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undazzlingadjective
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dazzlinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dazzlesimple
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dazzlessimple
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have dazzledperfect
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has dazzledperfect
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am dazzlingprogressive
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are dazzlingprogressive
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is dazzlingprogressive
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have been dazzlingperfect progressive
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has been dazzlingperfect progressive
Past
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dazzledsimple
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had dazzledperfect
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was dazzlingprogressive
-
were dazzlingprogressive
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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
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Unit 5, Academic Vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
Apart from anything else, that smile is going to dazzle in the holiday snaps.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Hundreds of robotics startups, some just a couple years old, peppered the sprawling convention centre hoping to dazzle.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
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
It was as though she held her breath and could not let it go until the energy and busyness culminated in a beauty that would dazzle him.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
Edgar-Jones makes us feel the yearning beneath Elinor’s calm reserve and Creed-Miles dazzles, conveying Marianne’s open-hearted abandon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The troublesome Queen of the Night dazzles with high notes that shoot out like daggers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
They ask you to cook with what remains rather than what dazzles.
From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2026
The handsome, personable Mr. Galante dazzles at the piano.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
All of the life of the earth dies, all of the time, in the same volume as the new life that dazzles us each morning, each spring.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
But having read “Shop Different,” it’s easy to understand why a Midwestern kid who was dazzled by department stores might want to take a chance on one of America’s most storied 20th-century retail brands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 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
A host of A-listers have dazzled locals in Wales in recent days after popping up in parts of the country to take part in a new film.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Roy was dazzled by the wondrous quiet, the bushy old mangroves sealing off the place from the honking and hammering of civilization.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
The review covered hundreds of species on the IUCN's "red list" -- icons like staghorn and table corals whose mineral skeletons give reefs their dazzling three-dimensional complexity.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Released 60 years ago, the director’s drama about a troubled actress and the nurse assigned to care for her is a work of dazzling, dreamlike style and haunting ambiguity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
A dazzling art exhibition is set to launch it, and our narrator will be handsomely paid for his assistance—writing promotional material, helping the artist with his research.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
It was all so dazzling at the Unisphere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
As they approached the top through a copse of chestnut trees, the lowering sun dropped below the cloud cover and caught the scene, dazzling the three soldiers as they rose into it.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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