amaze

amaze — verb

1. to make a person feel a strong sense of surprise and wonder, usually because wha

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to make a person feel a strong sense of surprise and wonder, usually because what has happened seems hard to believe or beyond what they thought possible.

Example

Mei's grandmother still amazes the whole family by remembering every birthday without a calendar.

amaze + somebody + by + -ing

It amazes me that Diego learned to play the violin in just six months.

it amazes + somebody + that-clause

Common collocations
  • never fails to amaze
  • continue to amaze
  • always amazes
  • amaze somebody with something
Synonyms
  • astonish

    very close in meaning; slightly more formal and often used about facts that are hard to believe

  • astound

    stronger than 'amaze'; suggests the surprise is so big the person is briefly speechless

  • stun

    stronger and more sudden; the person is shocked into stillness, sometimes negatively

  • wow

    informal and lighter; usually about entertainment or impressive performances

Antonyms
  • bore

    the opposite reaction: makes someone lose interest rather than feel wonder

Grammar Patterns

amaze + somebody

it amazes somebody + that-clause

it amazes somebody + wh-clause

amaze somebody + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Almost always transitive: there must be a person being surprised, named or implied. Frequently appears in the dummy-it frame 'It amazes me/him/her that…' or 'It never fails to amaze somebody how/why/when…' — both used to comment on something the speaker finds remarkable.

Common Mistakes

I amazed when I saw the view.
I was amazed when I saw the view.
the person who feels the surprise is the object, not the subject; use the passive 'be amazed' for the feeler.
The result amazed to everyone.
The result amazed everyone.
'amaze' is followed directly by a person, with no preposition.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs describe causing surprise, but they sit on a scale of intensity. 'Surprise' is the neutral, everyday word — anything unexpected can surprise you, good or bad. 'Amaze' is stronger and almost always positive: it adds a feeling of wonder, as if the cause seems wonderful or hard to believe. 'Astonish' is very close to 'amaze' but tends to focus on facts that are difficult to accept ('the figures astonished the auditors'), while 'amaze' often follows talents, beauty, or kindness. 'Astound' is stronger still and suggests the listener is briefly lost for words. 'Stun' is the most extreme and can be negative — bad news stuns people, leaving them frozen. Compare: a magic trick amazes a child; a surprise inheritance astonishes a relative; the verdict stunned the courtroom.

amaze ↗astonishastound ↗surprise ↗stun ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • never cease to amaze
  • never fail to amaze
  • continue to amaze

Prepositions

  • with (something)
  • by (doing something)
  • at (something)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

'Amaze' comes from Old English 'amasian', meaning to confuse or stun, formed from a strengthening prefix and a root linked to 'maze' — a place where you get lost. In its earliest use it described being so bewildered that you could not think clearly. Over the centuries the negative idea of being lost in confusion softened into the modern positive sense of being filled with wonder at something remarkable.