maze

[meyz]

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.

verb (used with object)

mazed, mazing 

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

maze

/ 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

verb

1. an archaic or dialect word for amaze

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of maze¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of maze¹

C13: see _amaze

Example Sentences

Also: “The rapper Eminem is terrified of owls,” and “if you put sheep in a maze, they mostly turn left.”

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“Reforms such as harmonizing VAT rules or establishing a common consolidated corporate tax base remain stuck because of national vetoes, leaving firms to navigate a maze of fragmented tax regimes,” she said.

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Only a silent, shadowy maze of tall trees, blocking out the dim light of dawn.

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From the newspaper she learned that the opening of the traditional autumn hay maze had been postponed due to excessive rain.

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The girls from Swanburne had been taken there on an outing and set loose in the maze; they raced this way and that, amid much delighted squealing.

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