Skip to main content
to spellbind

to spellbind

1 7.0
To hold people completely interested as if by magic
  • verb
  • /ˈspɛlˌbaɪnd/
translation icon : fascinar
  • The magician's performance was so captivating that it truly spellbind the entire audience.
  • find him spellbinding

Dialectical materialism, anti-Semitism, Nazism could spellbind and hypnotize mankind.

Examples

  • For almost 40 years now, Jerry's spellbinding keynote talk, Beyond Survival, has inspired thousands worldwide with a life-changing message of hope, faith, courage, and honor.

    Blog text (20)
  • At least there is this book, which I found spellbinding, to say the least.

    Blog text (21)
  • That your performance in this movie is spellbinding.

  • The story you wrote was spellbinding; I couldn't stop reading... even to answer my phone!

    Blog text (6)
  • I never thought I could care about African history, but she's spellbinding.

  • Visiting natural forests, preserved wild jungles, historical sites and cities, deep ocean parks, savannas, and animal sanctuaries will certainly spellbind you.

    Blog text (32)
  • Naturally, in the finest tradition of spellbinding cliffhangers, Aaron escapes and is reunited with his mother.

    Academic text (1991)
  • She intones the tale in the poetry of song, and the confluence of melody, meaning, and meter spellbinds me.

    Blog text (24)
  • Like his most recent work, those books spellbind readers in fast-paced adventures about resourceful male characters who must challenge the horrors of the Holocaust with wit and will.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The documentary about the ancient ruins was spellbinding, leaving viewers in awe of its history.

Synonyms

to fascinate
vsto spellbind
238 3.4

To attract and hold someone's strong interest or attention

adds a more magical, overwhelming sense of captivation than general interest
to hold
vsto spellbind
201 2.2

To keep someone's attention

is much stronger, implying intense, almost magical captivation
to seize
vsto spellbind
68 3.8

Grab and hold someone's attention suddenly and strongly

is similar but implies a sustained, magiclike captivation rather than suddenness
to grip
vsto spellbind
50 6.0

To hold someone's attention or emotions strongly

keeps the focus on intense fascination rather than bodily inhibition
to mesmerize
vsto spellbind
  • US
39 6.4

To hold someone's full attention as if by magic

expresses the same magiclike intense fascination rather than ordinary interest
to rivet
vsto spellbind
33 6.1

To hold someone's full attention because something is very interesting or surprising

is more about an almost magical enthralling rather than steady hold
to bewitch
vsto spellbind
23 7.2

To attract and charm someone as if by magic

is similar but centers more on strong fascination than literal bewitching
to enthrall
vsto spellbind
20 6.8

To hold someone's full attention by being very interesting

is the same intense, magical style of holding attention
to captivate
vsto spellbind
19 4.2

To attract and hold someone's full attention

is stronger, adding a magical or overwhelming captivation quality
to enchant
vsto spellbind
17 4.8

To make someone feel very pleased and amazed as if by magic

leans more toward intense, spelllike holding of attention
to entrance
vsto spellbind
  • Literature
13 6.3

To fill someone with wonder and delight

is similar but stresses an almost magical captivation quality
to enrapture
vsto spellbind
  • Literature
6 7.8

To make someone feel very happy and amazed

focuses more on fascination itself rather than on pleasure alone
to ravish
vsto spellbind
  • Literature
6 8.7

To fill someone with great joy and amazement

is the same intense holding but defined by fascination not only delight
to magnetize
vsto spellbind
3 5.8

To attract people or their attention strongly

uses a magical fascination image rather than physical attraction metaphor
to transfix
vsto spellbind
1 7.6

Cause someone to stand still because they feel amazed or scared

is similar but focuses on intense fascination without necessarily freezing someone
to capture attention
vsto spellbind
1 3.2

To attract and keep people's interest

adds a sense of overwhelming, magiclike fascination beyond simple focus
to enthral
vsto spellbind
  • US
7.2

Hold someone's attention completely and make them feel very interested

is the same intense fascination with a magical feeling
to becharm
vsto spellbind
  • Archaic
9.9

To use magic or nice words to make someone like and obey you

is more about complete, intense attention rather than charm alone
to glamor
vsto spellbind
  • Archaic
9.9

To cast a magic spell that makes someone see or feel things that are not real

is similar but used more generally for intense modern fascination

Antonyms

513 2.1

To make someone stop paying attention to what they are doing or thinking about

15 1.4

To make someone feel tired or not interested by being dull when you speak

How Captivating

to spellbind
1 7.0
to enthrall
20 6.8
to captivate
19 4.2
to engage
117 3.5
to interest
206 1.0

Surface Forms

spellbind infinitive
spellbinding present participle
spellbinds third person singular
spellbound past
spellbound past participle

Morphology

spellbind = spell + bind (transparent) = spell + bind

Meaning is directly derived from 'spell' (magic) + 'bind' (to tie), i.e., to bind by a spell = to enchant, which is clear to learners who know both components.

Etymology

Spellbind combines spell ('magic word' or 'charm') and bind ('tie'), so it originally meant to 'tie with a spell'. So, to spellbind someone is to hold their attention as if by magic.