maze

American  

[meyz] / meɪz /

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.

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verb (used with object)

mazed, mazing

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

maze British  

/ 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

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verb

1. an archaic or dialect word for amaze

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of maze

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

Explanation

A maze is a puzzle with twists and turns, where you try to find a path from the entrance to the exit without hitting dead ends. You can walk through a maze, or let your pencil do the walking. The goal of a maze is to get through it, which means going the wrong way, retracing your steps, and choosing different paths. There are mazes that you walk through, and mazes on paper where you draw a line to the end. You can also use maze for any complicated system, like the maze of hallways and staircases in an enormous new school. Originally, maze meant "delusion or bewilderment," which captures what it's like to be inside one.

Example Sentences

Maze thinks that competitors are starting to learn other lessons from Chili’s too.

From Slate • Aug. 11, 2025

It really worked, said Maze, the industry watcher.

From Slate • Aug. 11, 2025

“We didn’t want it to feel over-polished. We wanted it to feel spontaneous. That’s what I’d done in ‘The Maze Runner’ movies, where you feel like we’re sort of making it up on the spot.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2024

When Frankie Beverly, lead singer of the soul band Maze, passed away this week, I thought of the audience on his recordings from one November night in 1980 at Saenger Theater.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 13, 2024

“That’s right—you’re a Runner now. Minho’ll teach ya. The Maze, the Maps, everything. Lots to learn. I expect you to work your butt off.”

From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner