amaze

1 of 2

verb

ə-ˈmāz 

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

Synonyms

Verb

• astonish
• astound
• bowl over
• dumbfound
• dumfound
• flabbergast
• floor
• rock
• shock
• startle
• stun
• stupefy
• surprise
• surprize
• thunderstrike

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

To see you everyday and know the 1,127 different directions you get pulled in and still handle things like a boss amazes me at times. —Avalon Hester, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024

What amazed me most, however, was the large number of people watching and tracking the trial. —Anthony Michael Kreis, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2024

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

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

Phrases Containing amaze

• never cease to amaze

Kids Definition

amaze

verb

ə-ˈmāz

amazed; amazing

: to surprise or astonish greatly : fill with wonder

amazingly adverb