exorcism
Americannoun
-
exorcisms
plural
-
the act or process of exorcising.
-
the ceremony or the formula used in exorcising.
An elaborate exorcism was pronounced over the sick man.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of exorcism
1350–1400; Middle English exorcisme (< Old French ) < Medieval Latin < Greek exorkismós administration of an oath. See exorcise, -ism
Explanation
A kid who's having an hour-long screaming temper tantrum probably needs either an exorcism or a nap. You can use the noun exorcism to describe getting rid of evil spirits. Exorcism, when it's used literally to mean evicting bad spirits, is a religious term. Plenty of horror movies feature a priest performing the ritual of exorcism on a demonically possessed person, and some version of exorcism really does exist in Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, and Jewish traditions. The word can also be used as a metaphor for getting rid of something negative: "Finally telling you the truth felt like an exorcism."
Vocabulary lists containing exorcism
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
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She Is A Haunting
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Wintergirls
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It says that former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown "attended an exorcism to help Raith Rovers sign player".
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
"If it's an exorcism... you're a victim, but if you're brought to a psychiatrist, there's a lot of shame," she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
If the goal was to transfer these skills to muscle memory, the learning process more resembled a muscle exorcism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
But maybe it can also be an exorcism: Tracy Morgan wasn’t the only spectator who likened the unadulterated glee lighting up the city to the final scene in “Ghostbusters.”
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
He was quoting lines from the exorcism scene in Daeonica.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
We could think of the three albums in this series as further explorations in one particular genre, rather than personal exorcisms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
For those who know of exorcisms primarily from horror movies, the news of a professional exorcist in the nation’s capital causing drama may have been a bit confounding.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026
The series also starred Collins as angel Castiel, who accompanies the Winchesters on their exorcisms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2025
Stanton delivered regular sermons to community residents, which included exorcisms and speaking in tongues.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2024
From this belief in devil possession arose a veritable system of Christian magic; charms, amulets, exorcisms, abounded; thus, white magic was opposed to black magic.
From Women of England by Bartlett Burleigh James
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
