illusionist

noun

il·​lu·​sion·​ist i-ˈlü-zh(ə-)nist How to pronounce illusionist (audio)
: a person who produces illusory effects: such as
a
: a sleight-of-hand performer or a magician
b
: one (such as an artist) whose work is marked by illusionism
illusionistic adjective
illusionistically adverb

Examples of illusionist in a Sentence

tried to figure out how the illusionist made his assistant disappear from the stage
Recent Examples on the Web To hear some tell it, her neighbors included the famous illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini and his wife, Wilhelmina Beatrice Houdini. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 While the game doesn’t run very smoothly, easily overpowering the Switch hardware and choking it with some major framerate dips throughout the experience, the illusionists at Nintendo once again make the case for trading in style over horsepower. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024 Lipa invited hundreds of her biggest fans to the mysterious Houdini Estate in the winding hills of Laurel Canyon Boulevard on Tuesday night to navigate an escape room (fitting for the famous illusionist and the slippery new song) and to dance the night away at an open-air disco party. Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 15 Nov. 2023 If not, Peltz will have his work cut out for him at the proxy ballot box as a diversionary illusionist. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2023 After her husband died in 1997, Ms. Blackstone moved center stage and went on to a successful career as an illusionist, coach, producer and director. Lauren McCarthy, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023 The announcement arrived after weeks of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it teasers sporadically posted to Lipa’s social media pages, a nod to the elusive air of Harry Houdini, the iconic Hungarian-American escape artist and illusionist from whom the song’s title derives. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 9 Nov. 2023 Khan recounts for them how a yogi (also Ayoade) once taught him to go beyond his senses; later, after becoming a sensation onstage as an illusionist, the old man passes away. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2023 Here are five things to do for the weekend of Aug. 18-20: Paranormal Cirque III This one-of-a-kind production put on by Cirque Italia takes place under a big-top tent and takes its audience on a sensual journey with acrobatics of the air, illusionists, mysterious creatures, contortionists and more. Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 18 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'illusionist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of illusionist was in 1850

Dictionary Entries Near illusionist

Cite this Entry

“Illusionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illusionist. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

illusionist

noun
il·​lu·​sion·​ist i-ˈlü-zhə-nist How to pronounce illusionist (audio)
: a person who produces illusions
especially : a performer of sleight of hand or a magician

More from Merriam-Webster on illusionist

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