maze

1 of 2

noun

ˈmāz How to pronounce maze (audio)
Synonyms of maze
1
a
: a confusing intricate network of passages
b
: something confusingly elaborate or complicated
a maze of regulations
2
chiefly dialectal : a state of bewilderment
mazelike
ˈmāz-ˌlīk How to pronounce maze (audio)
adjective

maze

2 of 2

verb

mazed; mazing

transitive verb

1
chiefly dialectal : stupefy, daze
2
: bewilder, perplex

Synonyms of maze

Relevance

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of maze in a Sentence

Noun The experiment measured the time it took for a mouse to find its way through a maze to get its reward of cheese. The school is a maze of classrooms. a maze of rules and regulations Verb I'm completely mazed by the multitude of plans for health insurance.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The farm has previously featured public figures including Carrie Fisher, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in its annual maze designs. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 Any driverless car company faces the challenge of a regulatory maze, Townsend said. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026 Mice on semaglutide explored more, balanced longer on a rotating rod, ran farther on a treadmill and solved a maze faster—gains that held even after the researchers accounted for the animals just being leaner than their peers. — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2026 His family owns the farm, where the maze is and is awestruck by the interest. — Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for maze

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of maze was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing maze

Rhymes for maze

See All Rhymes for maze

Browse Nearby Words

mazdoor
maze
mazedly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Maze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maze. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

maze

noun
ˈmāz
1
: a confusing complicated network of passages
2
: something complicated or elaborate
a confusing maze of regulations

Medical Definition

maze

noun
ˈmāz How to pronounce maze (audio)
: a path complicated by at least one blind alley and used in learning experiments and in intelligence tests

More from Merriam-Webster on maze

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about maze

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All