maze

[meyz]

noun

1. a confusing network of intercommunicating paths or passages; labyrinth.

2. any complex system or arrangement that causes bewilderment, confusion, or perplexity.

   Her petition was lost in a maze of bureaucratic red tape.

3. a state of bewilderment or confusion.

4. a winding movement, as in dancing.

verb (used with object)

mazed, mazing 

1. Chiefly Dialect.,  to daze, perplex, or stupefy.

maze

/ meɪz /

noun

1. a complex network of paths or passages, esp one with high hedges in a garden, designed to puzzle those walking through it Compare labyrinth

2. a similar system represented diagrammatically as a pattern of lines

3. any confusing network of streets, pathways, etc

   a maze of paths

4. a state of confusion

verb

1. an archaic or dialect word for amaze

Other Word Forms

• mazedly adverb
• mazedness noun
• mazelike adjective
• intermaze verb (used with object)
• mazement noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of maze¹

1250–1300; Middle English mase, noun use of aphetic variant of amasen to amaze

Word History and Origins

Origin of maze¹

C13: see _amaze

Example Sentences

"It remains essential borrowers seek independent advice to navigate the mortgage maze and not feel pressured to secure a deal because of the Budget rumour mill," she said.

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The concept can be imagined as a marble maze that organizes itself.

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In John Banville’s novel, the luminous city of Venice becomes a sinister maze for a newly married writer.

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Each new tragedy exposes the rot in India's drug oversight system - a maze of weak enforcement and regulation.

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To film there, we first had to seek permission from the community's chief, and we were guided throughout by a local crew of fixers who knew how to navigate its maze of waterways.

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