spellbound

adjective

spell·​bound ˈspel-ˌbau̇nd How to pronounce spellbound (audio)
: held by or as if by a spell

Examples of spellbound in a Sentence

The children were spellbound by the puppet show. She's a storyteller that will hold you spellbound.
Recent Examples on the Web The images from the National Mall and Rev. King’s speech left him spellbound. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2023 The pall of Depp’s 2022 court case against his ex-wife Amber Heard couldn’t compare with the cloak of gloom that Depp and bandmates Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen cast over a spellbound sea of fans. Victoria Wasylak, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2023 But then, Ami becomes spellbound by Exotic Deadly, the cool new Japanese girl at school who takes pride in her passion for karaoke, anime, manga, kewpie mayo, Super Mario Bros. and, of course, MSG. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2023 At first, de Lairesse was spellbound. Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2020 Diana is a spellbound witch, a.k.a. Town & Country, 6 Feb. 2023 At first, Paris was spellbound. Vulture, 3 May 2022 Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman, and Courtenay Valenti, president of production and development, manage the film franchise, so the spellbound property isn’t entirely in limbo. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 Apr. 2022 But for the many children and teens spellbound by the scene, the vintage train layout is a cool new thing. Dallas News, 22 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spellbound.' 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

1785, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spellbound was in 1785

Dictionary Entries Near spellbound

Cite this Entry

“Spellbound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spellbound. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spellbound

adjective
spell·​bound ˈspel-ˈbau̇nd How to pronounce spellbound (audio)
: held by or as if by a spell

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