maze

[ meyz ]

noun

1. a confusing network of intercommunicating paths or passages; labyrinth.
2. any complex system or arrangement that causes bewilderment, confusion, or perplexity:

   Her petition was lost in a maze of bureaucratic red tape.

3. a state of bewilderment or confusion.
4. a winding movement, as in dancing.

verb (used with object)

mazed, mazing.

1. Chiefly Dialect. to daze, perplex, or stupefy.

maze

/ meɪz /

noun

1. a complex network of paths or passages, esp one with high hedges in a garden, designed to puzzle those walking through it Compare labyrinth
2. a similar system represented diagrammatically as a pattern of lines
3. any confusing network of streets, pathways, etc

   a maze of paths

4. a state of confusion

verb

1. an archaic or dialect word for amaze

Derived Forms

• ˈmazeˌlike, adjective
• ˈmazement, noun

Other Word Forms

• mazed·ly [meyzd, -lee, mey, -zid-], adverb
• mazedness noun
• mazelike adjective
• inter·maze verb (used with object) intermazed intermazing

Word History and Origins

Origin of maze¹

1250–1300; Middle English mase, noun use of aphetic variant of amasen to amaze

Word History and Origins

Origin of maze¹

C13: see amaze

Example Sentences

By contrast, a Halloween maze lasts just a couple minutes and features recorded dialogue.

From Los Angeles Times

The Last Bookstore has an enthralling, picturesque maze of used and new books, and Chevalier’s is a cozy, intimate bookshop with stores and cafes nearby.

From Los Angeles Times

Paradise, a town built on volcanic ridges with a maze of dead-end roads offering few ways in and out, was particularly difficult to evacuate.

From Los Angeles Times

But let’s put a pin in all that for now to brave the forest maze that is “Severance” creator Dan Erickson’s thought process.

From Salon

Have you ever tried to cancel a subscription, only to find yourself lost in a confusing maze of steps?

From Salon