maze

The word “maze” means a complicated network of paths or passages designed to confuse and challenge anyone trying to find their way through it. In plain terms, a puzzle of paths (real or figurative) that's tricky to find your way through.

“Maze” is pronounced MAYZ (/ˈmeɪz/ in IPA).

Here is “maze” used in a sentence: “The kids got lost in the hedge maze for almost an hour.”

“Maze” is a noun.

The word “maze” comes from Old English. From Middle English mase, related to an Old English word for bewilderment — the same root gave us "amaze".

“Maze” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“Maze” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a complicated network of paths or passages designed to confuse and challenge anyone trying to find their way through it.

In everyday use, a maze is a network of paths deliberately designed with dead ends and multiple routes to confuse the person navigating it, while a labyrinth is traditionally a single winding path with no wrong turns, meant for a meditative walk rather than a puzzle. The words are often used interchangeably in casual speech, but the distinction matters in garden design and mythology.

This is a figurative use of maze, applying the idea of a confusing network of paths to a confusing collection of rules or bureaucratic requirements. It suggests the rules are hard to follow and easy to get lost in, just like a physical maze.

Yes, maze commonly extends beyond hedges and puzzles to describe any confusing set of options, procedures, or paths, such as a maze of corridors, forms, or choices. The core idea in every case is difficulty finding a clear way through.