maze

American  

[meyz] / meɪz /

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.

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verb (used with object)

mazed, mazing

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

maze British  

/ 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

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verb

1. an archaic or dialect word for amaze

Other Word Forms

• intermaze verb (used with object)
• mazedly adverb
• mazedness noun
• mazelike adjective
• mazement noun

Etymology

Origin of maze

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

Explanation

A maze is a puzzle with twists and turns, where you try to find a path from the entrance to the exit without hitting dead ends. You can walk through a maze, or let your pencil do the walking. The goal of a maze is to get through it, which means going the wrong way, retracing your steps, and choosing different paths. There are mazes that you walk through, and mazes on paper where you draw a line to the end. You can also use maze for any complicated system, like the maze of hallways and staircases in an enormous new school. Originally, maze meant "delusion or bewilderment," which captures what it's like to be inside one.

Example Sentences

Cain, in which the doctrinal maze is itself the story.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

They can only get there via a tour, navigating a maze of narrow alleyways as residents go about their daily lives while stopping to visit local artists or see a capoeira show.

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

Some of this river water is diverted into a maze of canals.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

A short drive away is the Karmel Mall, a cavernous building and local Somali hub, filled with a maze of stalls selling tea, fashions, jewelry and more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Looks like something new’s going in over by the hedge maze.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin