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
"In the initial phase, CENTCOM's focus was systematic targeting of Iranians' command-and-control infrastructure, naval forces, ballistic missile sites and intelligence infrastructure, designed to daze and confuse them," he said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
I drove through the neighborhoods in a daze, bewildered by what I saw.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2026
I trundled home from the hospital in a daze, with my daughter in her pram.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2024
I sit in Mrs. Robbins’s room in a daze, trying to get my feet to stand, to put up my chair, to walk downstairs where Mom will be waiting.
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
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
But I never see a more experienced associate do this—first, because the customers are often annoyed to have their shopping dazes interrupted and, second, because we have far more pressing things to do.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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
A ruthless blend of silky flicks and slick off-the-ball movement that saw a dazed City caught several frames behind.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
In Taichung, a meal so fluent in Chinese tradition it left me a little dazed, and yet set out simply to be enjoyed, not to prove a point.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
As Pereira stepped in, Gane dropped the 38-year-old with a perfectly timed jab and although he got back to his feet, the referee waved off the contest as the Frenchman overwhelmed his dazed opponent.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
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
She’d burdened him with emotional baggage he didn’t need, and left him so dazed they had almost gotten killed by a giant shrimp monster.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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
It seemed narrowed and small; a thick fog overhung it, hiding the very mast-tops in cloud, and dazing and wearying the eyes with its soft obscurity.
From Dream Tales and Prose Poems by Constance Garnett
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
