dazzle

1 of 2

verb

daz·​zle ˈda-zəl 

dazzled; dazzling ˈdaz-liŋ 

ˈda-zə-liŋ

intransitive verb

1

: to lose clear vision especially from looking at bright light

2

a

: to shine brilliantly

… the woods dazzled whitely …

—Truman Capote

b

: to arouse admiration by an impressive display

She dazzles in her live concerts.

transitive verb

1

: to overpower with light

was dazzled by the camera flash

2

: to impress deeply, overpower, or confound with brilliance

dazzled us with her wit

dazzle noun

dazzler

ˈda-z(ə-)lər 

noun

dazzler

2 of 2

noun

daz·​zler ˈda-z(ə-)lər 

plural -s

: one that dazzles

that dress is a dazzler

Synonyms of dazzle

Verb

• blind
• stun

Examples of dazzle in a Sentence

Verb

Elvis always dazzled his audiences.

Visitors were dazzled by the mansion's ornate rooms.

She truly dazzles in her live concerts.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

No one dazzled in a quarterback competition that Monken let play out deep into August despite always leaning toward Deshaun Watson’s experience. — Zac Jackson, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

The documentary asserts Musk has vastly overstated the capacities of Tesla vehicles, dazzling 60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl and other journalists with displays of his electric cars proceeding under their own guidance, while hiding a frightening reality. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026

Snapdragons Fast-growing and resilient, snapdragons are commonly planted in spring, but these hardy plants fit right into fall gardens too, and can continue to dazzle long after the rest of your garden is tucked in for the winter to come. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 7 Sep. 2026

The lefty who dazzled fans with his celebratory strikeout jumps and impressed teammates with his 80-minute pregame workouts was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

frequentative of daze

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing dazzle

• razzle-dazzle

Kids Definition

dazzle

verb

daz·​zle ˈdaz-əl 

dazzled; dazzling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to overpower with light

the desert sunlight dazzled us

2

: to impress greatly or confuse with brilliance

dazzled the crowds with fiery speeches

dazzle noun

dazzler

-(ə-)lər 

noun

dazzlingly

-(ə-)liŋ-lē 

adverb