amaze
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to overwhelm with surprise or sudden wonder; astonish greatly.
It will never cease to amaze me how fast children grow.
She was amazed that someone could be serious about something so incredibly absurd.
- Synonyms:
- flabbergast, stun, dumbfound, astound
-
Obsolete. to bewilder; perplex.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
-
to fill with incredulity or surprise; astonish
-
an obsolete word for bewilder
noun
Synonym Usage
See surprise.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
amazesimple
-
amazessimple
-
have amazedperfect
-
has amazedperfect
-
am amazingprogressive
-
are amazingprogressive
-
is amazingprogressive
-
have been amazingperfect progressive
-
has been amazingperfect progressive
Past
-
amazedsimple
-
had amazedperfect
-
was amazingprogressive
-
were amazingprogressive
-
had been amazingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of amaze
First recorded before 1000; from Middle English amasen, from Old English āmasian “to confuse, stun, astonish,” equivalent to a- 3, + unattested *masian “to confuse”; cf. maze ( def. )
Explanation
Things that amaze fill you with confusion and mystery — or they just impress you. Either way, amazing things make an impact. There are two main meanings to amaze. The first has to do with causing a feeling of puzzlement or awe. An impressive magician amazes people with tricks. Anything impressive can also amaze. A great basketball player might amaze you with a rim-rattling dunk or by hitting dozens of free throws in a row. Things that amaze also astound, astonish, and impress. Amazing things are also awesome: in the old of sense "causing awe" and the recent sense of "really cool."
Vocabulary lists containing amaze
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
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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:
“I believe that stories have an important role to play in the formation of human beings,” Miyazaki once said, “that they can stimulate, amaze and inspire their listeners.”
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Similarly, the audience is left to wonder why this career coder has driving skills that would amaze James Bond.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
According to Mrs Butcher, one thing that still never fails to amaze her is how each wedding is unique - some more so than others.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2025
Sometimes people think, “Oh, it must be easy to amaze kids.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2025
I am amaze, and not at ease then; but she is so bright and tender and thoughtful for me that I forget all fear.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
"One thing that always amazes me is that this tiny little fly does a hell of a lot; even our best AI agents and robots can't do everything that a fly does," Yang said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
What amazes Downing more, however, is his offensive acumen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
"That's something that amazes me - how one tiny bone can complete the story."
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2025
It amazes me that people came to see this show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025
It still amazes me how she can survive by being accepting and not fighting back.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
"They are just amazed" by the daytime high temperatures under 30C and sea breezes, as well as the lack of crowds compared to tourist hotspots in southern Europe.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
"She separated the three crystal types, which themselves differed in transparency, symmetry, and luster, from all the pebbles. This ability to recognize crystals despite their differences amazed us," García-Ruiz said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Within Silicon Valley, executives are amazed at how well their stocks are doing,” said DeLeon, the San Francisco luxury broker.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Barry said the family were amazed to find out who the artist was having grown up with picture on the wall.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
He did say that Pavey probably had “gone easy” on him and that he was amazed that he’d even lasted a quarter of an hour against him.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
"The LNF is an amazing facility," Gong said, adding it was a painstaking process to meld the device's materials together in a way that didn't introduce any extraneous electric fields.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
“It’s been an amazing transformation to see it turning from what was essentially a giant parking lot into what is now this absolutely gorgeous property,” Mietz said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
There is also an amazing collection of letters written primarily by Black parents to Union Army officials, asking for help freeing their children.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
But perhaps the most amazing moment this year came when Craig Brown, 33, and Tara Sweeting, 29, chose the 20th anniversary event to tie the knot.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Who knew how many amazing things were out there, unknown, waiting to be discovered?
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
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.
