What does "craze" mean?
A strong habitual desire or fancy.
Craze
/kɹeɪz/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A strong habitual desire or fancy.
- Grammar: craze is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: fad, abandon, abrade, abrasion.
- Useful contrasts: apathy, coolness, dampen.
- Usage evidence: I am still keeping up my tennis craze.
How to use "craze"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "craze" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "craze" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "craze" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "craze" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "craze" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "fad" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "craze", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A strong habitual desire or fancy.
- 2 a fine crack in a glaze or other surface wordnet
- 3 A temporary passion or infatuation, as for some new amusement, pursuit, or fashion; a fad.
"Winemaking was a huge craze in the 1970s, when affordable package holidays to the continent gave people a taste for winedrinking, but the recession made it hard to afford off-license prices back home."
- 4 an interest followed with exaggerated zeal wordnet
- 5 A crack in the glaze or enamel caused by exposure of the pottery to great or irregular heat.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 state of violent mental agitation wordnet
- 7 Craziness; insanity. archaic
"‘A poor fellow with a craze, sir,’ said Mr. Dick, ‘a simpleton, a weak-minded person […] may do what wonderful people may not do. […]’"
Verb
- 1 To weaken; to impair; to render decrepit. archaic
"till length of years / And ſedentary numneſs craze my limbs"
- 2 develop a fine network of cracks wordnet
- 3 To derange the intellect of; to render insane.
"any man […] that is crazed and out of his wits"
- 4 cause to go crazy; cause to lose one's mind wordnet
- 5 To be crazed, or to act or appear as one that is crazed; to rave; to become insane.
"And if Robin should be cast / Sudden from his turfed grave, / And if Marian should have / Once again her forest days, / She would weep and he would craze: [...]"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To break into pieces; to crush; to grind to powder. See crase. archaic, intransitive, transitive
"God looking forth will trouble all his Hoſt / And craze thir Chariot wheels:"
- 7 To crack, as the glazing of porcelain or pottery. intransitive, transitive
Antonyms
Example
"I am still keeping up my tennis craze."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "craze"?
Common synonyms include: fad, abandon, abrade, abrasion, art trend, band.
How do you use "craze" in a sentence?
I am still keeping up my tennis craze.
How do you pronounce "craze"?
Pronounced /kɹeɪz/.
Etymology
From Middle English crasen (“to crush, break, break to pieces, shatter, craze”), from Old Norse *krasa (“to shatter”), ultimately imitative. Cognate with Scots krass (“to crush, squeeze, wrinkle”), Icelandic krasa (“to crackle”), Norwegian krasa (“to shatter, crush”), Swedish krasa (“to crack, crackle”), Danish krase (“to crack, crackle”), Faroese kras (“small pieces”).