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amaze

v.
B1 Intermediate US //əˈmeɪz// UK //ɐmˈeɪz// amaze Archaic Literary

v. to surprise someone very much. You use this when something is so impressive or unexpected that it is hard to believe.

v. to fill someone with great surprise or sudden wonder. Often used in the passive voice to describe a state of being overwhelmed by an impressive sight or achievement.


SIMPLE

The magician's tricks always amaze the children.

CONTEXTUAL

The young athlete's speed and stamina continue to amaze her coaches during every practice session.

COMPLEX

The sheer scale of the ancient ruins never fails to amaze visitors, who often find themselves humbled by the architectural sophistication of a lost civilization.

Synonyms
Origin

The verb is derived from Middle English amasen, amase (“to bewilder, perplex”) (attested chiefly in the past participle form, and thus often difficult to distinguish from amased (adjective)), from Old English āmasian (“to confuse, astonish”), from ā- (perfective prefix) + masian (“to confound, confuse, perplex; to amaze”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)meh₂- (“to beckon, signal”)). The English word is analysable as a- (intensifying prefix) + maze (“(archaic) to astonish, amaze, bewilder; to daze, stupefy”). The noun is derived from Late Middle English amase, from the verb: see above.

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object. Frequently appears in the passive form 'to be amazed by/at'.

Pitfall

I am very amaze by the news.I am very amazed by the news.Learners often use the base verb instead of the past participle (-ed) when describing their own feelings.

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