trance

[ trans, trahns ]

See synonyms for: trance tranced trancing on Thesaurus.com

noun

a half-conscious state, seemingly between sleeping and waking, in which ability to function voluntarily may be suspended.
a dazed or bewildered condition.

a state of complete mental absorption or deep musing.
an unconscious, cataleptic, or hypnotic condition.
Spiritualism. a temporary state in which a medium, with suspension of personal consciousness, is controlled by an intelligence from without and used as a means of communication, as from the dead.

verb (used with object),tranced, tranc·ing.

to put in a trance; stupefy.
to entrance; enrapture.

Origin of trance

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English traunce, trauns(e), “state of extreme dread, swoon, dazed state,” from Old French transe “passage (from life to death),” derivative of transir “to go across, pass over,” from Latin trānsīre, equivalent to trāns- trans- + īre “to go”

Other words from trance

tranced·ly [transt-lee, tran-sid-lee], /ˈtrænst li, ˈtræn sɪd li/, adverb
trancelike, adjective

Words Nearby trance

Other definitions for trance (2 of 2)

trance²

or transe

[ trahns ]

noun

a passageway, as a hallway, alley, or the like.

verb (used without object),tranced, tranc·ing.

to move or walk rapidly or briskly.

Origin of trance

First recorded in1540–50; origin uncertain; perhaps shortening of transit

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use trance in a sentence

When he enters the water, the light begins to turn different colors, and he falls into what feels like a trance.
The Green Knight is glorious and a little baffling. Let’s untangle it. | Alissa Wilkinson | July 30, 2021 | Vox
I spent a long time trying to overcome that painful and bitter trance on my own, drawing upon my strength to get up from my hiding place.
Locked up in the Land of Liberty: Part II | Michael K. Lavers | July 14, 2021 | Washington Blade
It’s an 18-and-over party that fans of vocal trance shouldn’t miss.
19 things to do this week in the D.C. area | Fritz Hahn, Anying Guo | June 24, 2021 | Washington Post
Players stopped in a trance, most seeming to know immediately the severity of the injury.
Washington comes back to beat Bengals, 20-9, after rookie QB Joe Burrow leaves with injury | Nicki Jhabvala | November 22, 2020 | Washington Post
Ten days later, a “Welcome to California” sign shook me from the trance of those thoughts.
How Biking Across America Formed an Unlikely Friendship | Raffi Joe Wartanian | October 8, 2020 | Outside Online

"I was in a trance and I couldn't see anything else," LaRose said at her sentencing.
The FBI’s Bogus ISIS Bust | James Poulos | November 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The simultaneously upbeat and sentimental ode to friendship is equal parts funk, trance, pop, and R&B.
The Swedish Queen of Soulful Pop: Mapei Won’t Wait for You to Listen | Caitlin Dickson | October 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Ed described himself as a demonologist, while Lorraine, who is 87, calls herself a trance medium.
Beware: Connecticut’s Museum of the Occult May Kill You | Nina Strochlic | July 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Twenty people surround Grace, all of them intently studying her trance state.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction | Abby Haglage | May 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
If successful, the three-day waking trance will eliminate her chemical dependence on heroin.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction | Abby Haglage | May 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Ripperda roused himself from his portentous trance, and arrayed his noble figure in the rugged habiliments of the muleteer.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
As in a trance he crosses the room, seizes charcoal, and feverishly works at the blank canvas on the easel.
Uncanny Tales | Various
As in a trance he crosses the cell, seizes a piece of charcoal, and feverishly works at the picture on the easel!
Uncanny Tales | Various
Joan stared at him; she was still dazed and bewildered, and still imagined herself with the companion of her trance.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon Blackwood
It was just like a bird, and when she sang the Southern melodies she seemed to be in a trance, seeing things we could not see.
The Cromptons | Mary J. Holmes

British Dictionary definitions for trance

trance

/ (trɑːns) /

noun

a hypnotic state resembling sleep
any mental state in which a person is unaware or apparently unaware of the environment, characterized by loss of voluntary movement, rigidity, and lack of sensitivity to external stimuli

a dazed or stunned state
a state of ecstasy or mystic absorption so intense as to cause a temporary loss of consciousness at the earthly level
spiritualism a state in which a medium, having temporarily lost consciousness, can supposedly be controlled by an intelligence from without as a means of communication with the dead
a type of electronic dance music with repetitive rhythms, aiming at a hypnotic effect

verb

(tr) to put into or as into a trance

Origin of trance

C14: from Old French transe, from transir to faint, pass away, from Latin trānsīre to go over, from trans- + īre to go

Derived forms of trance

trancelike, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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