Synonyms

hypnotize

American

[hip-nuh-tahyz] / ˈhɪp nəˌtaɪz /

especially British, hypnotise

verb (used with object)

to put in the hypnotic state.
to influence, control, or direct completely, as by personal charm, words, or domination.

The speaker hypnotized the audience with his powerful personality.
to frighten or startle so that movement is impossible.

The headlights hypnotized the deer and it just stood staring at the oncoming car.

verb (used without object)

to practice hypnosis; put or be able to put others into a hypnotic state.

hypnotize British

/ ˈhɪpnəˌtaɪz /

verb

to induce hypnosis in (a person)
to charm or beguile; fascinate

"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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Present

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Etymology

Origin of hypnotize

First recorded in 1843; see origin at hypnotism, -ize

Explanation

When you hypnotize someone, you draw him into a mental state that is receptive to suggestion. If you are looking to break a bad habit like cigarette smoking, ask someone to hypnotize you. To hypnotize is to induce a calm, focused state in one's self or in another person. The state is called hypnosis, and a person who can do this for someone else is a hypnotist. The word hypnotize comes from the Greek hypnotikos, "inclined to sleep or putting to sleep," and popular ideas of hypnosis reflect a kind of half-asleep state. In reality, when you hypnotize someone, the person remains awake and intently focused.

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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:

hypnotize hypnotizes hypnotized hypnotizing

Watching a trickster hypnotize someone in a live performance might impress you.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025

I knew what she meant: I’d only gotten acupuncture once, despite her promise that bodywork could “unstick” the trauma; I refused to let Dr. M hypnotize me.

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2024

I assume he will now hypnotize himself in front of the nearest screen during breakfast instead of asking questions about what he just read.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 10, 2023

The goal wasn’t to hypnotize an audience through an emotional narrative.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2023

I thought the spinning wheel might even hypnotize him, like in an old movie I’d seen with Ms. Mac.

From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney

It’s a disconcerting choice, one that hypnotizes as much as it unnerves.

From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2024

And in the short story The Euphio Question, an opportunistic businessman capitalizes on an astronomer’s bizarre discovery to create a “euphoriaphone” that hypnotizes society into complacency.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 10, 2022

A general hypnotizes a French girl into posing as a lost Russian princess.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2020

Daisy, neurotic and frustrated and unemployed, goes into therapy with a domineering doctor who hypnotizes her, ostensibly to help her quit smoking.

From New York Times ● Jul. 13, 2018

Like the fish sort of hypnotizes you into not throwing the harpoon.

From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick

Even as they get better, one thing won’t change: We’ll all still have to ensure we’re not hypnotized by the algorithms—and that we think for ourselves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

I’ve always been hypnotized by the sky, by the light and how light works with the clouds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025

How deeply someone can be hypnotized -- known as hypnotizability -- appears to be a stable trait that changes little throughout adulthood, much like personality and IQ.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 4, 2024

I think everyone got hypnotized during the pandemic that that was what the future was going to look like.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 24, 2023

Michael may have only just turned twelve, but he knew one thing for sure: there was something strange about a guy who was hypnotized by garbage and didn’t know what year it was.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

For some the answer is easy–especially now that surfing property sites has become as hypnotizing as scrolling through Instagram or TikTok.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026

Stewart slowly waved his finger across his face, as if hypnotizing viewers.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2025

Russian pianist Anton Batagov made sure we heard them as brilliantly hypnotizing traditional music.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2024

The script’s ridiculous rationale — which our hero repeatedly intones like he’s hypnotizing us to believe it — is that certain beekeepers have pledged to prevent colony collapse, both apoidea and homo sapien.

From New York Times ● Jan. 10, 2024

The burning incense was sweet and suffocating; the glowing candle was hypnotizing.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023