spells 1 of 2

noun

plural of spell
1
as in incantations
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power the witch cast a spell that turned the prince into a toad

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2
as in bouts
a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder a dizzy spell that caused me to fall

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in whiles
an indefinite but usually short period of time come rest a spell

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spells

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of spell
1
as in possesses
to cast a spell on it was as if he had spelled the public into believing his ridiculous claims

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in means
to communicate or convey (as an idea) to the mind that summertime combination of hot temperatures and equally hot tempers can spell trouble

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of spells
Noun
And England had been desperately poor for long spells of the game, tense, panicked, shambolic in defence. — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 1 July 2026 Pruning leaves plants more vulnerable to drying out and reduces their energy reserves, which plants need to survive spells of hot, dry weather. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2026 Summer drownings are an annual problem that health authorities say worsens during hot spells. — Oleg Cetinic, Fortune, 22 June 2026 Morocco, meanwhile, played really well in spells throughout the group stage but would often fail to really capitalize on its dominance. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 29 June 2026 The 1995 Chicago heat wave is the most notorious and deadly of the city's hot spells, and in fact the deadliest weather event in the city's history. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 July 2026 Those are just a few of the 80 single-player minigames in this package, which also features Beatspell, a rhythmic role-playing adventure that requires nimble finger-work to cast spells. — ABC News, 26 June 2026 This is where the sorcerer’s book of spells resurfaces; James and Henry succeed in summoning a playful demon, Goomi (Trey Parker), a kind of Funko Pop! — Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 June 2026
Verb
And the chart spells it out, admittedly in very tiny print. — Susan Tompor, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026 The L'Oca d'Oro website spells that out, too. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026 And this spells trouble for parts of the fast casual industry. — Penny Kmitt, CBS News, 27 May 2026 But were those two spells the best representation of Marsch soccer? — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 25 June 2026 The document spells this out in the standard ETF risk language every such fund must carry. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026 The British government spells it out in guidance for staff working with classified documents. — ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026 If Ohio is suddenly in play, that spells big problems for a GOP majority. — Philip Elliott, Time, 23 June 2026 The timing of Tim Cook’s departure from Apple spells good things for the company’s fiscal second-quarter earnings report, set to be released on April 30, Wall Street analysts are buzzing. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spells
  1. incantations
  2. bouts
  3. whiles
  4. possesses
  5. means
  6. curses
  7. attacks
  8. bits
Noun
  • Circe is able, by means of drugs and incantations, to change humans into wolves, lions, and other animals.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 July 2026
  • As prospective farmers struggled to clear forests for rice fields in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Malaya, their efforts might have been accompanied by mystical incantations like this invocation against Iblis, the Devil in Islamic tradition.
    — H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2026
Definition of incantations
Noun
  • Sarah Breeden, deputy governor of the Bank of England, said agentic AI could amplify volatility during bouts of market stress.
    — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 3 July 2026
  • That’s because a parasite called Cyclospora, which can contaminate raw produce and causes ferocious and long-lasting bouts of diarrheal illness, is making people sick across several states.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
Definition of bouts
Noun
  • UCHealth’s decision to postpone surgeries whiles staff addressed the sterilization problem stands out from other hospitals that have found themselves in similar situations.
    — Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2025
Definition of whiles
Verb
  • The United States possesses the world’s strongest military, most innovative economy, and deepest capital markets.
    — Marc Andersen, Fortune, 30 June 2026
  • While Languedoc possesses remarkable varietal diversity, Legrand is quick to point out that grapes are only the starting point.
    — Emily Cappiello, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
Definition of possesses
Verb
  • Also known as fragrance stacking, layering means mixing scents to create your own custom blend according to Almira Armstrong, founder of Lumira.
    — Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 6 July 2026
  • Furthermore, the centralized App Store infrastructure means third-party applications would cease to function if Apple's servers are no longer active.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of means
Noun
  • Morgan and her Judgment Day cronies tried to bribe Danhausen to put curses on their opponents.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2026
  • In baseball, curses are no joking matter, and the Curse of the FTD Burger might now have befallen the team.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of curses
Noun
  • The British Army also provided protection from attacks by Native American tribes, giving many settlers little reason to support a rebellion.
    — Hank Tester, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • Twice in recent days, the United States has launched retaliatory strikes on Iran following drone attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 30 June 2026
Definition of attacks
Noun
  • Screwdriver bits attach to the tool with a magnet, and the Vulyx itself can magnetically stick to any metallic surface.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 2 July 2026
  • The Ed Sullivan Theater, which first opened in 1927, is a 13-story shadow box preserving bits from a rich history of pop culture pinnacles past.
    — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of bits

Browse Nearby Words

spell out
spells
spells out
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Cite this Entry

“Spells.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spells. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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