amaze
/ə'meiz/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To cause someone to feel great surprise or wonder: "amaze" means to astonish or astound someone, often by something unexpected or difficult to believe.
- To be a source of mystery or bewilderment: "amaze" can also describe something that puzzles or confounds someone.
Usage
- The verb "amaze" is typically used with an object (a transitive verb). The person or thing that causes the amazement is the subject, and the person who feels amazed is the object.
- It is often used in passive constructions (e.g., "I was amazed by...").
- It describes a strong emotional reaction of surprise, often positive, but can be neutral.
Examples
- Active voice:
- Your ability to speak six languages amazes me. (I feel great wonder because of your skill.)
- The magician's trick amazed the entire audience. (The trick caused the audience to feel astonishment.)
- Passive voice:
- I was amazed by the beauty of the landscape. (The beauty caused me to feel wonder.)
- We were amazed at how quickly he learned. (The speed of his learning caused our surprise.)
Advanced Usage
- "to amaze someone with something": to cause amazement by means of a specific thing.
- She amazed the judges with her powerful voice.
- "to be amazed by/at something": to feel wonder because of something.
- He was truly amazed at the technological advancement.
- We stood amazed by the grandeur of the ancient temple.
Variants and Related Words
- Amazement (noun): A feeling of great surprise or wonder.
- She looked at the painting in amazement.
- Amazing (adjective): Causing great surprise or wonder; extremely impressive.
- That was an amazing performance!
- Amazed (adjective): Filled with the emotional state of wonder or astonishment.
- The amazed crowd cheered loudly.
Synonyms
- Astonish: To surprise someone greatly.
- Astound: To shock or amaze with a revelation.
- Stun: To astonish or shock someone so that they are temporarily unable to react.
- Bewilder: To cause someone to become perplexed and confused. (Focuses more on confusion than wonder.)
Phrasal Verbs
(Note: "Amaze" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. The meanings are conveyed through prepositions as shown in "Advanced Usage.")
Related Idioms
- Never cease to amaze: Used to say that someone or something consistently causes surprise or admiration.
- Your generosity never ceases to amaze me.
- To one's amazement: Causing someone to feel amazed.
- To her amazement, the test results were positive.
Verb
- be a mystery or bewildering to
- This beats me!
- Got me--I don't know the answer!
- a vexing problem
- This question really stuck me
- affect with wonder
- Your ability to speak six languages amazes me!