1
as in curse
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power
the witch cast a spell that turned the prince into a toad
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in bout
a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder
a dizzy spell that caused me to fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in while
an indefinite but usually short period of time
come rest a spell
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to possess
to cast a spell on
it was as if he had spelled the public into believing his ridiculous claims
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to mean
to communicate or convey (as an idea) to the mind
that summertime combination of hot temperatures and equally hot tempers can spell trouble
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of spell
Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
When Tennyson’s inconvenient father went away to Continental Europe for a spell, Alfred invited Hallam home with him to Somersby, where the rest of the family swiftly came to adore him—especially Emily, Alfred’s beloved younger sister.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Freeman could play right field for Moniak against left-handers, or Castro could spell Moniak or Beck due to pitching matchups due to Castro’s switch-hitting capabilities.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spell
Noun
My own reading, not incompatible with the alcoholic diagnosis, is that all those cocktails are a spell of protection.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
When Tennyson’s inconvenient father went away to Continental Europe for a spell, Alfred invited Hallam home with him to Somersby, where the rest of the family swiftly came to adore him—especially Emily, Alfred’s beloved younger sister.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
Allan’s resignation adds to the sense that the scandal surrounding the Mandelson appointment cannot be contained and could spell the end of Starmer’s premiership, just 19 months after Labour swept to power in a landslide election that gave it the largest majority in Parliament this century.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Freeman could play right field for Moniak against left-handers, or Castro could spell Moniak or Beck due to pitching matchups due to Castro’s switch-hitting capabilities.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spell
Noun
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
Silver plunged 14%, continuing a recent bout of extraordinary volatility.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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As semiconductor stocks undergo another bout of severe volatility, Bank of America Global Research has issued a sharp rebuke of prevailing market sentiment, labeling fears driving the current tech-sector selloff as logically impossible.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Soup generally takes a while to cook, and the simmering pot on the stove will generate heat in the kitchen.—
Erin Huffstetler,
The Spruce,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Still, some Japanese officials are hopeful China will seek a diplomatic off-ramp because Beijing knows Takaichi will likely be around for a while.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
According to Deadline, Charli will be possessed by a violent, tortured spirit in director Takashi Miike’s upcoming untitled slasher-horror film that is scheduled to start filming in Japan next month; the role was previously reported, but the details about the plot are new.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Between lunch and dinner, something possessed Ben to feel bad about being too harsh on his sous.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The designation would mean no change for the hundreds of private property owners in the zone.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
That means eating pasta, spaghetti sauce, sweet potatoes, frozen fruit and yogurt, while forgoing items like clementines and fresh vegetables.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The latest incantation of NVLink provides a scale-up fabric at 3.6 TB/s per GPU, supporting all-to-all collectives in network.—
Karl Freund,
Forbes.com,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Fireflies blipped and burned out, and the cicadas joined in an incantation that crescendoed into an ancient whirr.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The administration’s attacks on Lemon and independent journalists have boosted their online attention and revenue.—
Drew Harwell,
Washington Post,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Mrigakshi is a science journalist who enjoys writing about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
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The hotel’s outdoor lawn and event space has quickly become a hot wedding venue—nearly every weekend in the summer and fall was booked up.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spell. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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