craze

1 of 2

verb

ˈkrāz 

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)

Synonyms

Verb

• frenzy
• bother

Noun

• trend
• latest
• vogue
• rage
• enthusiasm
• style

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

TikTok brims with both clever and crazed conspiracy theories. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2025

Famous for their made-to-order burgers and secret menu hacks, California-based In-N-Out has been flipping patties since 1948, building a devoted fan base that predates social media crazes. —Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 21 Aug. 2025

Noun

Beyond Meat once sold for almost $240 a share at the height of the meat alternative craze in the summer of 2019, after Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Credit Suisse brought it public at $25 a share in a May 2019 initial public offering. —Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025

OpenAI’s launch of its pioneering ChatGPT sparked a global AI craze that has drawn hundreds of billions of dollars in investments into Silicon Valley technology companies, and raised alarms that the technology will lead to harms ranging from rampant unemployment to terrorism. —Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025

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

1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for craze

• baize
• bays
• blase
• blaze
• braes
• braze
• chaise
• claes
• clays
• dais
• days
• daze

Kids Definition

craze

1 of 2 verb

ˈkrāz 

crazed; crazing

1

sometimes offensive : to make or become mentally unsound or as if mentally unsound

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)