craze

1 of 2

verb

crazed; crazing; crazes

transitive verb

1
sometimes offensive : to make insane or as if insane
crazed by pain and fear
a crazed mob
2
: to produce minute cracks on the surface or glaze of
crazed glass
crazed pottery
3
obsolete : break, shatter

intransitive verb

1
sometimes offensive : to become insane
2
: to develop a mesh of fine cracks
3
archaic : shatter, break

craze

2 of 2

noun

1
: an exaggerated and often transient enthusiasm : mania
the latest craze in music
2
: a crack in a surface or coating (as of glaze or enamel)
Choose the Right Synonym for craze

fashion, style, mode, vogue, fad, rage, craze mean the usage accepted by those who want to be up-to-date.

fashion is the most general term and applies to any way of dressing, behaving, writing, or performing that is favored at any one time or place.

the current fashion

style often implies a distinctive fashion adopted by people of taste.

a media baron used to traveling in style

mode suggests the fashion of the moment among those anxious to appear elegant and sophisticated.

slim bodies are the mode at this resort

vogue stresses the wide acceptance of a fashion.

short skirts are back in vogue

fad suggests caprice in taking up or in dropping a fashion.

last year's fad is over

rage and craze stress intense enthusiasm in adopting a fad.

Cajun food was the rage nearly everywhere for a time
crossword puzzles once seemed just a passing craze but have lasted

Examples of craze in a Sentence

Verb horses crazed by the barn fire kicked out their stall doors as they tried to escape Noun if history is any guide, this latest diet for losing weight is just another craze
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Another crazed superfan maybe? Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 23 Mar. 2023 Ellie, crazed and exhausted, emerges into the cold air in a cloud of smoke. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2023 The company also has embraced the cocktail-in-a-can craze and found success with beverages such as Jack and Coke in a can, the result of a partnership with Coca-Cola (KO). Paul R. La Monica, CNN, 31 Aug. 2022 Ford, which started the high-performance truck craze a decade ago with the F-150 Raptor, confirmed that a Raptor R version with even more power and torque will soon go into production. Bymorgan Korn, ABC News, 11 June 2022 The exclamatory marketing epitomizes the desire of folks to post filtered photos of themselves on social media, connecting with millions who craze this basic connection to some semblance of the art world. Natasha Gural, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2021 Anderson is one of a select few managers from whom La Russa learned, although that was supplemented by his interest in statistics well before the sabermetrics craze. Mark Gonzales, chicagotribune.com, 29 Oct. 2020 Meantime, in Arizona Territory in 1893, a frontierswoman named Nora is beginning to grow crazed with want — for thirst. John Freeman, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Aug. 2019 In this movement, the hopeful, major-key passage that arrives unexpectedly near the end was hurried, if crazed, almost like a mad scene for plunging, again, to gloomy melodrama. Joshua Barone, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2019
Noun
Slok’s graph shows that the Top 10 PE multiple is now hovering at around 40, far above the readings in the 23 to 26 range between 1995 as the dot.com frenzy gathered momentum and the craze’s near-apex in 2000. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 The oblong vestibule is lined in a fanciful fabric of de Castellane’s design, based on the 18th-century French craze for singerie, decorative motifs depicting anthropomorphic monkeys. Ellie Pithers, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2024 The craze was called tulip mania, or tulipomania, and caused the crash of the Dutch economy. Deb Wiley, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Feb. 2024 The 3-point craze in the NBA has been going on for years, and the league is on pace to break the record for both 3s made in a season — and 3-point accuracy as well. Tim Reynolds, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2024 But the anti-aging craze doesn’t just target mature skin. India Espy-Jones, Essence, 2 Feb. 2024 The Stanley cup craze is raising questions about how much water people should be drinking from the coveted cups. James Powel, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024 Hot sauce adds just a hint of that buffalo flavor to break up the richness and add some heat. 09 of 12 Buffalo Chicken Wings View Recipe Buffalo chicken wings started off the buffalo chicken craze, and for good reason. Samantha Lande, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2024 The bank’s analysts, led by Bank of America Institute senior economist David Michael Tinsley, found that after a post-pandemic EV craze that saw sales triple from 2021 to 2023, demand cooled off in the second half of last year. Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 25 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'craze.' 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 and Noun

Middle English crasen to crush, craze, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Swedish krasa to crush

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Noun

1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of craze was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near craze

Cite this Entry

“Craze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/craze. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

craze

1 of 2 verb
crazed; crazing
1
: to make or become insane or as if insane
2
: to develop a network of fine cracks
crazed glass

craze

2 of 2 noun
1
: something that is very popular for a short time
the latest craze in music
2
: a tiny crack in a surface or coating (as of glaze or enamel)

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