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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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:
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
Fireworks may dazzle crowds with brilliant colors and loud explosions, but new research suggests their effects continue long after the show ends.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 4, 2026
It is six decades since he started to dazzle home audiences, over 40 since he last played a game.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
The brass band banged off around a corner, leaving the rocket to shine and dazzle alone in the sunlight.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg noted how "Zendaya still dazzles", but asked "has Sam Levinson's HBO drama aged out of relevance?"
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
MILAN—Every time American figure skater Ilia Malinin takes the ice, he dazzles fans with his repeated feats of antigravity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
The production may not feel quite as grand as it once did, yet Christmas Eve partying, with the children and frolickers, still dazzles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025
At the age of 13, she dazzles audiences across India with her piano and sitar performances.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 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
Armitage was similarly dazzled by the exhibit, explaining that his father was a fan of science fiction films.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2026
But the industry’s slow-and-steady pace of profit growth hasn’t exactly dazzled investors.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
“The Language of Butterflies” is equal parts an ode to the gaudiest of insects—a tribute to butterflies’ beauty, behavior and natural history—and to the scientists and enthusiasts dazzled by them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
This was supposed to be the Netherlands' time, as Johan Cruyff and co dazzled throughout the tournament with their revolutionary Total Football approach.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
I replayed our encounter, only this time I was charming, confident, able to carry on a conversation that dazzled him while Maritza and her friends watched enviously.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is also approaching an extraordinary milestone, while a dazzling supermoon will close out the month.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
Thousands of revellers then lined up along the riverfront to watch the dazzling fireworks display to mark the close of the festival's 40th year.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Slate film critic Dana Stevens raves, “It’s a dazzling exploration of the possibilities of stop-motion technology, as well as a classic coming-of-age fairy tale.”
From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2026
The review covered hundreds of species on the IUCN's "red list" -- icons like staghorn and table corals whose mineral skeletons give reefs their dazzling three-dimensional complexity.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
There are no clouds and the mountains, McKinley on the right, tower over us in dazzling white enormity, filling the sky while the sun warms our backs and the dogs settle into running.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
