craze
Americanverb (used with object)
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to derange or impair the mind of; make insane.
He was crazed by jealousy.
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to make small cracks on the surface of (a ceramic glaze, paint, or the like); crackle.
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British Dialect. to crack.
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Archaic. to weaken; impair.
to craze one's health.
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Obsolete. to break; shatter.
verb (used without object)
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to become insane; go mad.
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to become minutely cracked, as a ceramic glaze; crackle.
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Metallurgy.
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(of a case-hardened object) to develop reticulated surface markings; worm.
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(of an ingot) to develop an alligator skin as a result of being teemed into an old and worn mold.
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Archaic. to fall to pieces; break.
noun
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a short-lived current fashion
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a wild or exaggerated enthusiasm
a craze for chestnuts
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mental disturbance; insanity
verb
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to make or become mad
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ceramics metallurgy to develop or cause to develop a fine network of cracks
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archaic (tr) to break
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archaic (tr) to weaken
Etymology
Origin of craze
1325–75; Middle English crasen to crush < Scandinavian; compare Swedish, Norwegian krasa to shatter, crush
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.
The unspoken truth about the whole snack tin craze is that it’s restriction disguised as mindful eating.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Memory companies have been the latest beneficiaries of the artificial-intelligence investing craze, a boom that has lifted the entire semiconductor sector.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
Eight years into the sports-betting craze, the industry is still grappling with the simple idea of what a “sports wager” actually is.
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
Wearable health trackers without displays are the latest fitness craze.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
His father took him and his brother Bill to the community boxing ring, where they were swept up in the prizefighting craze of the 1920s.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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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.