daze
Americanverb (used with object)
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dazes,
present (3rd person singular)
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dazed,
past participle, past
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dazing
present participle
noun
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dazes
plural
verb
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to stun or stupefy, esp by a blow or shock
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to bewilder, amaze, or dazzle
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dazesimple
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dazessimple
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have dazedperfect
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has dazedperfect
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am dazingprogressive
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are dazingprogressive
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is dazingprogressive
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have been dazingperfect progressive
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has been dazingperfect progressive
Past
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dazedsimple
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had dazedperfect
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was dazingprogressive
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were dazingprogressive
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had been dazingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of daze
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English dasen (verb), from Old Norse dasa- (as in dasask “to become weary”); compare Danish dase “to doze, mope”
Explanation
A daze is a type of confusion, when you have a lack of clarity. When you first wake up, you might be in a bit of a daze, shuffling about the house before your brain really starts working. Daze can also mean the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens to you accidentally: "After getting hit in the head by a football, you were in such a daze you couldn't remember where you were." As a verb, daze means to stun. You will definitely daze your father when you tell him that you eloped.
Vocabulary lists containing daze
Charlotte's Web
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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Bunnicula
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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:
At the final whistle, they slumped to the turf in a daze while a familiar Spanish party exploded around them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
"I've been in a daze ever since I saw the announcement. Until more information comes out, I need to be careful not to mess up my daily life from overthinking," wrote X user Yachi.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
There were multiple people walking around the area in a daze.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2025
Blowing on both sides, he explained, should cause the golden eagle to fall from the skies in a sort of daze.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2025
He was walking in a daze, his clothes wrinkled from the drizzle of rain, his face splattered with mud, his shins scratched.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Players would come off the course in veritable dazes.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2022
Moans and groans and the stench of diarrhea emanated from the so-called receptacles, the barracks set up for new arrivals; people wandered the grassy streets in fevered dazes.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2014
Skimming through the outsiders of World Cups past, few in their right minds or even their fuzziest dazes would have come up with Uruguay 1950, North Korea 1966, Northern Ireland 1982, Bulgaria 1994, Turkey 2002.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 6, 2010
That maybe this L.A. is another kind of beast—one that dazes you to death.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
But maybe The Angels is a different kind of beast—one that just dazes you to death.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
The two dazed pilots jettisoned what was left of the canopy and jumped into the water, dodging the rotor blades, seconds before the helicopter sank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Once again, dazed players and staff trudged over to applaud their supporters at Selhurst Park at full-time after throwing away another lead.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
Looking ecstatic and dazed, Arkapaw, who’s also the first Black director of photography to win an Oscar, ascended the platform to get her statue engraved beside her young son.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
He followed his initial hearing three days later by video link, appearing dazed and frail and barely speaking.
From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026
“Where is everybody?” said Peach in a dazed voice.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
Harper collided with Moreno at home plate, dazing the catcher, but who remained in the game.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2023
Former Laker Ben McLemore swiped at the ball and elbowed James in the side of the head in the first quarter, dazing the Lakers’ star and sending him staggering into the front row.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2022
With one minute remaining in the final round, Diaz landed a straight left jab, dazing Edwards.
From New York Times ● Jun. 13, 2021
He flashed his gleaming smile, dazing her momentarily.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
I remember the dazing blow of the instrument board as my head had snapped forward against it from the sudden lurch of the midair failure, and dimly then the slow, limp slumping into unconsciousness.
From Test Pilot by Jimmy Collins
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.
