as in spell
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power
hovering over the sick child, the witch doctor muttered mysterious incantations
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Recent Examples of incantation
Then, in what might be one of the most fitting metaphors of parenting and family-building in horror-comedy history, everyone—Rohan, Josh, their parents, their partner's parents, and even their friend—start screaming the same garbled Latin incantation in an effort to confuse the demon.
—
Annabelle Canela, Parents, 26 Mar. 2025
Instead, the government simply repeats its incantation of a need to modernize the system and uncover fraud.
—Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2025
The story ends in the village of Hammondsport, where Drew was killed, with a kind of incantation of the cycle of life on Keuka Lake.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2025
Alice draws a circle around Lilia uttering some sort of incantation as Patti LuPone’s witch writhes on the floor in her glittery jump suit and orange coat.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for incantation
Annabelle Canela, Parents, 26 Mar. 2025
Instead, the government simply repeats its incantation of a need to modernize the system and uncover fraud.
—Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2025
The story ends in the village of Hammondsport, where Drew was killed, with a kind of incantation of the cycle of life on Keuka Lake.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2025
Alice draws a circle around Lilia uttering some sort of incantation as Patti LuPone’s witch writhes on the floor in her glittery jump suit and orange coat.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for incantation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incantation
Noun
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Earlier in the day, Council members grilled administration officials over their outreach to homeless New Yorkers during the cold spell.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Early warm spells can encourage spring-flowering bulbs to emerge before the risk of cold damage has passed.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This happened within the first several hours of the President’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, in March.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2026
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Violette’s nostalgic invocation of the aesthetics of the late ’60s and early ’70s did not so much channel the utopianism of the counterculture as mourn its passing, returning again and again to the grave of the last mythic moment when radical change seemed possible.—
Rachel Wetzler,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Those declines are making Berkshire's more than $350 billion in cash look more like a blessing than a curse.—
Alex Crippen,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2026
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Classical Amid all the constant wondering of when things will get better, the slow drip of time may feel like a curse.—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incantation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incantation. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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