maze

American  

[meyz] / meɪz /

noun

1. a confusing network of intercommunicating paths or passages; labyrinth.

2. any complex system or arrangement that causes bewilderment, confusion, or perplexity.

   Her petition was lost in a maze of bureaucratic red tape.

3. a state of bewilderment or confusion.

4. a winding movement, as in dancing.

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verb (used with object)

mazed, mazing

1. Chiefly Dialect. to daze, perplex, or stupefy.

maze British  

/ meɪz /

noun

1. a complex network of paths or passages, esp one with high hedges in a garden, designed to puzzle those walking through it Compare labyrinth

2. a similar system represented diagrammatically as a pattern of lines

3. any confusing network of streets, pathways, etc

   a maze of paths

4. a state of confusion

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verb

1. an archaic or dialect word for amaze

Other Word Forms

• intermaze verb (used with object)
• mazedly adverb
• mazedness noun
• mazelike adjective
• mazement noun

Etymology

Origin of maze

1250–1300; Middle English mase, noun use of aphetic variant of amasen to amaze

Example Sentences

From mazes of cubicles to plentiful lush balconies, office designers keep re-envisioning spaces to support our professional lives.

From The Wall Street Journal

Shoppers and cashiers alike are left navigating this maze, unsure whether their next purchase will pass or fail.

From Salon

Universal plans to swap out occasionally the mazes in Horror Unleashed, which will open a second location in Chicago in 2027.

From The Wall Street Journal

"You can think of a liquid cooling maze through the silicon at nanometre scale," says Mr Speirs.

From BBC

In a perfect world, we’d tear down the maze we’ve added to for a century and replace it with a central clearinghouse for short-term government support, able to interact efficiently with states.

From The Wall Street Journal