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 of amaze

Verb

• surprise
• astonish
• stun
• shock
• startle
• astound

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

More than 30 years later, what amazes me isn’t just what that team accomplished on the field. —Charlie Davies, New York Times, 9 June 2026

This technology still amazes me. —Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 8 June 2026

Noun

That’s the other amaze-amaze about this movie. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025

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

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

Rhymes for amaze

• ablaze
• airways
• allays
• always
• anglaise
• appraise
• archways
• arrays
• ashtrays
• assays
• atpase
• ballets

Kids Definition

amaze

verb

ə-ˈmāz

amazed; amazing

: to surprise or astonish greatly : fill with wonder

amazingly adverb