dazzle
Americanverb (used with object)
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dazzles,
present (3rd person singular)
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dazzled,
past participle, past
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dazzling
present participle
verb (used without object)
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dazzles,
present (3rd person singular)
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dazzled,
past participle, past
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dazzling
present participle
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to shine or reflect brilliantly.
gems dazzling in the sunlight.
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to be overpowered by light.
Her eyes dazzled in the glare.
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to excite admiration by brilliance.
Once one is accustomed to such splendor, it no longer dazzles.
noun
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dazzles
plural
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an act or instance of dazzling.
the dazzle of the spotlights.
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something that dazzles.
verb
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(usually tr) to blind or be blinded partially and temporarily by sudden excessive light
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to amaze, as with brilliance
she was dazzled by his wit
she dazzles in this film
noun
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bright light that dazzles
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bewilderment caused by glamour, brilliance, etc
the dazzle of fame
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dazzlernoun
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overdazzleverb
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outdazzleverb (used with object)
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undazzledadjective
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undazzlingadjective
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dazzlinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dazzlesimple
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dazzlessimple
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have dazzledperfect
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has dazzledperfect
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am dazzlingprogressive
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are dazzlingprogressive
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is dazzlingprogressive
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have been dazzlingperfect progressive
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has been dazzlingperfect progressive
Past
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dazzledsimple
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had dazzledperfect
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was dazzlingprogressive
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were dazzlingprogressive
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had been dazzlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dazzle
Explanation
To dazzle is to blind someone for a moment with light, like a deer in the headlights. You can also dazzle by impressing people, and not just by wearing a sparkly sequined shirt. Have you ever had a light shine in your face so you couldn't see for a second? You were dazzled. To dazzle is to blind someone in this way. A car's high-beam lights can dazzle other drivers. Looking directly at the sun is a way to dazzle yourself. Dazzling puts you in a daze for a second. Also, anything impressive can dazzle. A great writer dazzles readers. An impressive speaker dazzles listeners. It's like you're blinded by their brilliance.
Vocabulary lists containing dazzle
Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 2
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"Two Left Feet, Two Left Hands, and Too Left on the Bench"
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Unit 5, Academic Vocabulary
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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:
Every musical number in “Stuffed” is made of morbid razzle dazzle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Apart from anything else, that smile is going to dazzle in the holiday snaps.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Hundreds of robotics startups, some just a couple years old, peppered the sprawling convention centre hoping to dazzle.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Getting investors to look past the dazzle of artificial intelligence and data centers toward ordinary roads, bridges and cell towers is a fairly tall order these days.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
The soft golden light in Dumbledore’s office seemed to dazzle Harry’s eyes after that impenetrable darkness.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Neat as some of his epigrams are, his characters talk a little too much, and the scenes in which Wilde dazzles some beguiling new historical personage with his repartee are a little too overextended.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The troublesome Queen of the Night dazzles with high notes that shoot out like daggers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Invariably, an attendee’s ability surprises and dazzles the others.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
Ms Edwards said: "It's really amazing. I was hoping that we had a chance – certainly I've been gearing Poykee up and making sure that he dazzles the judges and his personality shines through."
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2025
All of the life of the earth dies, all of the time, in the same volume as the new life that dazzles us each morning, each spring.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
While France's superstars dazzled on the pitch, the final is, however, remembered for pre-match hysteria surrounding the world's best player, Brazil striker Ronaldo.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
I noticed the slight negativity but was mostly dazzled that a man texted immediately after the date to say he liked me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Nope, says a crack team of Nomura analysts who dazzled some on social media with a 119-page deep dive into the sector that was published Tuesday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
At another point, he brought Trump a gold pager to the White House, which dazzled the president, officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
He stood on the sidewalk before the house, too dazzled at first by the sunlight to see very clearly.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
It was all so dazzling at the Unisphere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
There is plenty to look out for over the coming months, from impressive meteor showers to dazzling star clusters.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
GUANGHAN, China—In July 1986, workers at a brick factory in southwestern China were digging for clay when they hit upon something unexpected: dozens of dazzling pieces of jade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
For many critics, it served as the tantalizing appetizer before the release of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in 1967, a dazzling entrée if ever there were one.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
She shut her eyes as she went over it, and as the dazzling gleam passed behind her and she bent her head towards the earth again, she felt the star slip down her horn.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
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.
