spellbind

verb

spell·​bind ˈspel-ˌbīnd How to pronounce spellbind (audio)
spellbound ˈspel-ˌbau̇nd How to pronounce spellbind (audio) ; spellbinding
Synonyms of spellbindnext

transitive verb

: to bind or hold by or as if by a spell

Synonyms of spellbind

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of spellbind in a Sentence

the tale about pirates and their buried treasure had completely spellbound the children
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ditto for the 20 silk shirts displayed on Stockmans, their patterns as spellbinding as ever. — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 4 June 2026 Part hymn, part lullaby, this soundscape courtesy of Brian Eno is a spellbinding palette of sound. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2026 On her spellbinding fifth album, Aldous Harding steps closer than ever to the camera lens without coming into focus. — Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026 Green-Wood Cemetery As daylight fades, settle in for a spellbinding program of short films that wander through grief, memory, and the strange, beautiful terrain between presence and absence. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for spellbind

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from spellbound

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spellbind was in 1808

Rhymes for spellbind

See All Rhymes for spellbind

Browse Nearby Words

spellable
spellbind
spellbinder
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spellbind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spellbind. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

spellbind

verb
spell·​bind ˈspel-ˌbīnd How to pronounce spellbind (audio)
spellbound -ˌbau̇nd How to pronounce spellbind (audio) ; spellbinding
: to hold by or as if by a spell : fascinate
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All