noun
maze
MAYZ
noun
1
A complicated network of paths or passages designed to confuse and challenge anyone trying to find their way through it.
"The kids got lost in the hedge maze for almost an hour."
"The old castle's cellars formed a maze of narrow, twisting corridors."
2
A confusing collection of rules, options, or paths that is hard to make sense of.
"Filing taxes felt like navigating a maze of forms and deadlines."
How to Use Maze
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA puzzle of paths (real or figurative) that's tricky to find your way through.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "maize" (corn) — they sound alike but are unrelated words.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a maze of corridors
lost in a maze
navigate a maze
Word Forms
mazed past tense, mazes plural, mazes singular
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The kids got lost in the hedge _____ for almost an hour.
Etymology
From Middle English mase, related to an Old English word for bewilderment — the same root gave us "amaze".