craze
/kreɪz/ (bre, ipa) · /kreɪz/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkrāz/ (ame, mw)
craze — noun
- crazesingular
- crazesplural
1. something — a hobby, gadget, dance, or way of dressing — that suddenly becomes v
something — a hobby, gadget, dance, or way of dressing — that suddenly becomes very fashionable among a lot of people, but usually goes out of fashion after a few months.
Bubble tea became a worldwide craze after photos of it spread on social media.
collocation: become a worldwide craze
Asher's older sister still remembers the loom-band craze from when she was at primary school.
collocation: [noun] + craze for naming a specific fad
There is a sudden craze for cold-water swimming among office workers in Taipei.
Every summer a new dance craze sweeps through high schools and disappears by autumn.
Meera says the latest craze among her friends is collecting tiny figurines from vending machines.
- fad
very close in meaning; 'fad' is slightly more dismissive and stresses how silly or pointless the fashion is.
- trend
broader and more neutral; a trend can last for years, while a craze burns out quickly.
- fashion
more often used for clothes and style; less suggestive of mass excitement.
- mania
stronger and more dramatic; suggests obsessive enthusiasm rather than just popularity.
文法句型
a craze for [noun]
the latest craze
用法筆記
Subject is usually a hobby, product, or activity rather than a person; often paired with 'for' to name what people are excited about ('a craze for X'). Implies the popularity is short-lived — contrast with 'trend', which can describe slower, longer changes.
常見錯誤
craze — verb
- crazepresent simple I / you / we / they
- crazes3rd person singular
- crazing-ing form
- crazedpast simple
1. to make somebody so upset or excited that they cannot think clearly; the adjecti
to make somebody so upset or excited that they cannot think clearly; the adjective form 'crazed' is far more common than the base verb in modern English.
The long siege had crazed several of the older soldiers, who now wandered the camp talking to themselves.
passive: be crazed by [cause]
Anthony wrote that grief over his wife's death seemed to craze him for almost a year.
pattern: [event] + craze + [person]
Romi described the trapped fox as crazed with fear, throwing itself against the bars of the cage.
In old novels, jealous lovers are often shown to slowly craze under the weight of their suspicions.
- calm
as in 'calm somebody down' — the opposite movement, from upset toward steady.
文法句型
crazed by [noun]
crazed with [emotion]
用法筆記
Now mostly literary; in everyday speech, 'drive somebody mad' or 'send somebody crazy' is used instead. The past participle 'crazed' is much more frequent and works as an adjective ('a crazed look', 'crazed with grief').
常見錯誤
2. (of a glazed or painted surface) to develop a pattern of very thin, shallow crac
(of a glazed or painted surface) to develop a pattern of very thin, shallow cracks that spread across the whole surface; also, to cause such cracks to form on a surface.
Old porcelain teacups often craze if you pour boiling water into them too quickly.
intransitive: [surface] + craze
Decades of sunlight had crazed the varnish on Bilal's grandfather's writing desk.
pattern: [cause] + craze + [surface]
The glaze on the antique vase had crazed into a delicate web of pale, hair-thin lines.
Niran warned the pottery class that cooling the bowls too fast would craze the glaze.
文法句型
something crazes
the surface is crazed
用法筆記
Mainly used by potters, ceramicists, conservators, and people who work with old paintings or varnish. Distinguished from sense 1 by the inanimate subject — only surfaces and finishes can 'craze' in this sense.