daze ( d³z) v. tr. dazed daz·ing daz·es 1. To stun, as with a heavy blow or shock; stupefy. 2. To dazzle, as with strong light. n. 1. A stunned or bewildered condition. [Middle English dasen of Scandinavian origin Old Norse dasask to become weary, reflexive of·dasa to tire out]

Synonyms: daze bemuse benumb stun stupefy The central meaning shared by these verbs is " to dull or paralyze the mental capacities with or as if with a shock ": dazed by the defeat; bemused by the senator's resignation; a boring performance that benumbed the audience; stunned by their sudden death; a display that stupefied all onlookers.

faze ( f³z) v. tr. fazed faz·ing faz·es 1. To disrupt the composure of; disconcert. See note at embarrass . [Middle English fesen to drive away, frighten from Old English f¶sian]

gaze ( g³z) v. intr. gazed gaz·ing gaz·es 1. To look steadily, intently, and with fixed attention. n. 1. A steady, fixed look. [Middle English gasen probably of Scandinavian origin] gaz "er n.

Synonyms: gaze stare gape glare peer ogle These verbs mean to look long and intently. Gaze refers to prolonged looking that is often indicative of wonder, fascination, awe, or admiration: gazing at the stars; gazed into her eyes. To stare is to gaze fixedly; the word can indicate curiosity, boldness, insolence, or stupidity: stared at them in disbelief; staring into the distance. Gape suggests a prolonged open-mouthed look reflecting amazement, awe, or lack of intelligence: tourists gaping at the sights. To glare is to fix another with a hard, piercing stare: He glared furiously at me when I contradicted him. To peer is to look narrowly, searchingly, and seemingly with difficulty: peered through her spectacles at the contract. To ogle is to stare in an amorous, usually impertinent manner: construction workers on their lunch hour ogling passing women.

haze 1 ( h³z) n. 1. a. Atmospheric moisture, dust, smoke, and vapor that diminishes visibility. b. A partially opaque covering: Let the polish dry to a haze before buffing it. 2. A vague or confused state of mind. v. intr. hazed haz·ing haz·es 1. To become misty or hazy; blur. [Probably back-formation from hazy ]

haze 2 ( h³z) v. tr. hazed haz·ing haz·es 1. To persecute or harass with meaningless, difficult, or humiliating tasks. 2. To initiate, as into a college fraternity, by exacting humiliating performances from or playing rough practical jokes upon. [Perhaps from obsolete haze to frighten from obsolete French haser to annoy from Old French] haz "er n.

laze ( l³z) v. lazed laz·ing laz·es v. intr. 1. To be lazy; loaf: laze around the house. v. tr. 1. To spend (time) in loafing: lazed the afternoon away in a hammock. [Back-formation from lazy ]

maze ( m³z) n. 1. a. An intricate, usually confusing network of interconnecting pathways, as in a garden; a labyrinth. b. A physical situation in which it is easy to get lost: a maze of bureaucratic divisions. 2. A graphic puzzle, the solution of which is an uninterrupted path through an intricate pattern of line segments from a starting point to a goal. 3. Something made up of many confused or conflicting elements; a tangle: a maze of government regulations. v. tr. mazed maz·ing maz·es Chiefly Southern U.S. 1. To bewilder or astonish. 2. To stupefy; daze. See note at possum . [Middle English mase confusion, maze from masen to confuse, daze from Old English ³masian to confound]

raze also rase ( r³z) v. tr. razed also rased raz·ing ras·ing raz·es ras·es 1. To level to the ground; demolish. See note at ruin . 2. To scrape or shave off. 3. Archaic To erase. [Middle English rasen to scrape off from Old French raser from Vulgar Latin *r ³s³re frequentative of Latin r³dere;See rash 2 ]