as in to fascinate
to hold the attention of as if by a spell
the tale about pirates and their buried treasure had completely spellbound the children
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Recent Examples of spellbind
McRae leveled up like few other pop artists in 2025, realizing her full star potential in spellbinding fashion across various singles, albums and performances — and proving pop still had a place in its center for the daughters of Britney and Xtina.
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Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 22 Jan. 2026
Experiencing the Valley of the Kings, the Avenue of Sphinxes, and the Colossi of Memnon beneath a spellbinding ring of light promises to be one of the most sublime journeys imaginable.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2026
Let this spellbinding 78-card tarot deck featuring colorful illustrations of Elphaba, Glinda, Fiyero, Nessarose, and more lead the way.
—Ew Staff November 25, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Nov. 2025
With all of the wholesomeness of a Bronx drill Cocomelon, Ice delivers lines cleverly adapted to the cartoon series (with no curse words) in her signature, spellbinding cadence.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spellbind
Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 22 Jan. 2026
Experiencing the Valley of the Kings, the Avenue of Sphinxes, and the Colossi of Memnon beneath a spellbinding ring of light promises to be one of the most sublime journeys imaginable.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2026
Let this spellbinding 78-card tarot deck featuring colorful illustrations of Elphaba, Glinda, Fiyero, Nessarose, and more lead the way.
—Ew Staff November 25, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Nov. 2025
With all of the wholesomeness of a Bronx drill Cocomelon, Ice delivers lines cleverly adapted to the cartoon series (with no curse words) in her signature, spellbinding cadence.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spellbind
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spellbind
Verb
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The fawn-like icon, star of classics including Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Sabrina, Two for the Road, Charade, Funny Face, and My Fair Lady, continues to fascinate even 33 years after her early death from a rare abdominal cancer.—
Hadley Hall Meares,
Vanity Fair,
15 May 2026
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The idea of the ouroboros (a snake eating its tail) has always fascinated me.—
Peter Bogdanovich,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The rookie showman is proving his mettle as part of the Caballero Circus, a five-generation family of performers, by enchanting audiences with his charismatic stage presence and sharp coordination.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
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Artemis 2 enchanted the world in the beginning of April, when its crew of four astronauts flew a 10-day mission around the moon and back to Earth.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spellbind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spellbind. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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