noun / verb
daze
DAYZ/deɪz/
A state of stunned confusion, or to put someone in this state.
She sits in a daze after hearing the unexpected news.
Etymology
Middle English dasen meant “be stunned” or “make bewildered.” The noun daze names the resulting mental condition, turning the verb’s experience of bewilderment into a state someone can be in.
In context
orphaned children walking around the rubble in a daze looking for water or something to eat.
More examples
- The blow dazed him, but he stayed on his feet.
- I walk around in a daze after a sleepless night.
- She emerges from her daze when someone calls her name.
Forms
daze · dazes · dazed · dazing
Similar words
- stun
- Emphasizes a shock that temporarily prevents thought or action.
- bewilder
- Emphasizes leaving someone puzzled and unable to understand.
- confuse
- Means making understanding difficult, without necessarily causing a stunned feeling.