amaze

1 of 2

verb

amazed; amazing; amazes

transitive verb

1
: to fill with wonder : astound
He amazed audiences with the power of his voice.
2
obsolete : bewilder, perplex

intransitive verb

: to show or cause astonishment
The fireworks display never ceases to amaze.

amaze

2 of 2

noun

: amazement
Dick looked at the little man in amaze.Robert Louis Stevenson
Choose the Right Synonym for amaze

surprise, astonish, astound, amaze, flabbergast mean to impress forcibly through unexpectedness.

surprise stresses causing an effect through being unexpected but not necessarily unusual or novel.

surprised to find them at home

astonish implies surprising so greatly as to seem incredible.

a discovery that astonished the world

astound stresses the shock of astonishment.

too astounded to respond

amaze suggests an effect of bewilderment.

amazed by the immense size of the place

flabbergast may suggest thorough astonishment and bewilderment or dismay.

flabbergasted by his angry refusal

Examples of amaze in a Sentence

Verb He has amazed audiences around the world with his magic tricks. It amazes me that no one noticed the error. Her garden's beauty never fails to amaze.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The show will continue to amaze this season, raising the costume game tremendously, switching up themes and introducing Rita Ora as the new celebrity panelist. Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 Competing on judge Heidi Klum's dream team, the duo's preliminary round performance amazed the judges and earned it a Golden Buzzer from Howie Mandel. USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024 But what’s behind the royal blue door might amaze you. Deanna Taylor, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 James also continued to amaze despite being the NBA’s elder statesman, becoming the league’s oldest player to record at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists, doing so in his 21st season. Ben Morse, CNN, 28 Jan. 2024 What also amazed me was that Mr. Delen was ordered to surrender his firearms. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2024 Thirty-two days after surgery on his Achilles, Aaron Rodgers was walking without crutches on the field at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, throwing the football — and amazing his fans and his coach, Robert Saleh. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 16 Oct. 2023 The Princess of Wales, 41, recently amazed a group of families who were gathering at the end of the year. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 23 Dec. 2023 These charming and clever gifts are designed to amaze and delight everyone on your holiday shopping list. Kathy Barr, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2023
Noun
The dogs at the daycare, which funds independent dog rescue facility Dogs 4 Rescue, 'amaze' the facility's owner daily. People Staff, Peoplemag, 15 Dec. 2022 But there’s still a short list of destinations with the power to surprise and amaze and awe—and quite a few happen to be in Nevada. Sunset Magazine, 9 May 2022 Despite Sethward's best efforts to shock and amaze viewers, Simon buzzed the act early on and didn't have the nicest things to say to the comedian at the end of the performance. Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, 11 Aug. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'amaze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English amasen, from Old English āmasian, from ā- (perfective prefix) + *masian to confuse — more at abide

Noun

derivative of amaze entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of amaze was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near amaze

Cite this Entry

“Amaze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amaze. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

amaze

verb
ə-ˈmāz
amazed; amazing
: to surprise or astonish greatly : fill with wonder
amazingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on amaze

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