magician

American  

[muh-jish-uhn] / məˈdʒɪʃ ən /

noun

• magicians
  plural

1. an entertainer who is skilled in producing illusion by sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.; conjurer.

2. a person who is skilled in magic; sorcerer.

   Synonyms:

   wizard, enchanter, necromancer

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magician British  

/ məˈdʒɪʃən /

noun

1. another term for conjuror

2. a person who practises magic

3. a person who has extraordinary skill, influence, or qualities

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• magicians
  plural

Etymology

Origin of magician

1350–1400; magic + -ian; replacing Middle English magicien < Middle French

Explanation

A magician does magic tricks. You might hire a magician to pull rabbits out of hats and do card tricks at your next birthday party. A performer whose specialty is sleight-of-hand and other illusions is one kind of magician. Another magician is the kind who makes real magic, casting spells and summoning spirits. More people believe in the first kind of magician — who is simply pretending to do magic — than the second. The word stems from the Old French magiciien, "magician or sorcerer," which is rooted in the Greek word for "magical," magikos.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

magician magicians

What about both movies called “The Illusionist” — the bittersweet French animated one about an aging magician and the Edward Norton one in which he is also, confusingly, a magician?

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

Put another way, Dolly Parton was a magician who never stopped telling you how she did the trick.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Mr. Sessa, who played the lead role of an abrasive prep-school student in “The Holdovers” and an abrasive magician in “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” is settling into a specialty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The last magician in the show even called my granddaughter up on stage to be a sort of assistant, and it was very cute.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Several months later, once he decides she is ready, the magician writes a letter of his own.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Without a library, I would not have purchased every cookbook, obscure DVD and book about secretive magicians that caught my eye.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

At Barnum’s American Museum in New York City, visitors could see America’s first aquarium, a menagerie of exotic animals, performances by magicians and ventriloquists, and waxworks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026

This time out, the original Four Horsemen -- who first appeared on screen in 2013 -- are joined by three younger magicians: Ariana Greenblatt, Dominic Sessa and Justice Smith.

From Barron's ● Nov. 16, 2025

Some nine years down the line, fresh blood is needed, so “Now You Don’t” plays like “Now You See Me: The New Class,” introducing a trio of budding magicians who take inspiration from the Horsemen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025

“Magicians in the supernatural world aren’t like stage magicians in the known world,” says Elsie.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

Related Words

• charmer
• genius
• virtuoso
• witch
• wizard