How to Use captivate in a Sentence

captivate

verb
  • The play has been captivating audiences for years.
  • In the last few months, things that used to captivate her no longer did.
    — Dana Spiotta, Vogue, 20 Apr. 2021
  • Their dazzling play captivates the city, and has for some time now.
    — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The sights, the sounds, and even the smells were captivating.
    — Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Sep. 2018
  • One of the few people who missed the saga that captivated the world?
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Rodin caught the act, and was captivated.
    — Li Qi, Artforum, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Set the tone by making your first minutes stand out and captivate.
    — William Arruda, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2022
  • While the designs captivate, the ticket funds will be hard at work.
    — Dallas News, 26 Sep. 2021
  • In more recent years, a string of new faces has charmed and captivated us once again.
    — Catherine Piercy, Vogue, 4 July 2018
  • But there’s far more to this captivating country than just sun, sea views and sand.
    — Katie Silcox, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Mar. 2026
  • The duo captivated the crowd while sitting side-by-side on stools on the venue's small stage.
    — Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 30 Sep. 2023
  • Why did this story captivate you and your colleagues?
    — Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The case captivated the city and stayed on the front page of newspapers for over a month.
    — Nicole Clausing, Sunset Magazine, 17 Jan. 2020
  • But Liu has captivated the country with more than just her skill and her charm.
    — Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Kids who love earth science will be captivated.
    — Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Tiger Woods, a young phenom at the time, was captivating the world.
    — Natalie Wu, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2025
  • His task is to captivate the audience for the entire evening.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2021
  • Rosen, who seems equally captivated by the plants, has his own advice about how to avoid killing them.
    — Crispin Long, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2019
  • Many of those close to her point to her past, as well as the firestorm of right-wing media that appeared to captivate her.
    — John Caniglia, cleveland, 11 Apr. 2021
  • What’s going to captivate them?
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
  • There are mermaids, dragons and unicorns to captivate the young ones.
    — Rick Menning, sun-sentinel.com, 16 Oct. 2020
  • To think of him sweeping in and all the people being captivated by him.
    — Pamela Keogh, Vanities, 8 May 2018
  • Her presence lights up the set and everyone is charmed and captivated by her.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 23 May 2026
  • Dart is a fiery competitor who has the ability to captivate a team.
    — Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
  • At least, there was this story of the crazy tiger man to captivate everyone — for a little while.
    — Andy Meek, BGR, 28 Oct. 2021
  • Adults and kids alike have been captivated by this mission and these human stories.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Northern views of the open sky captivate from within the space, alongside views of the urban cityscape.
    — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2024
  • Stay at a luxe retreat perched high above the captivating cliffs at Cliff House.
    — Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 15 June 2025
  • Along the way, flower farms captivate the senses with notes of peonies and lavender.
    — Will Lanzoni, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2023
  • Open up a pack and step inside the craze that captivates the world come every World Cup.
    — SI.com, 6 June 2018

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

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