maze

American  

[meyz] / meɪz /

noun

mazes plural

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

Derived Forms

• mazedness
  noun
• mazement
  noun
• mazelike
  adjective
• mazedly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mazes
  plural

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

Soul and funk band Maze, which was fronted by the late Frankie Beverly, shared some love for Bryson on social media.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

I would go to maybe 60out or Maze Rooms or one that I had never heard of.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2025

“Especially since the pandemic, the entire industry had been focused on takeout and drive-thru,” Maze said.

From Slate • Aug. 11, 2025

The open-top bus parade is scheduled to start at 14:30 BST on Monday from Allerton Maze, and will progress over the next several hours to Blundell Street in the city centre.

From BBC • May 24, 2025

Just before it latched shut, Thomas thought he heard the first eerie moan of the Grievers, coming from somewhere deep in the Maze.

From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner