mesmerize
Americanverb (used with object)
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mesmerizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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mesmerized,
past participle, past
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mesmerizing
present participle
-
to completely capture the attention of; spellbind; fascinate.
This young pianist has mesmerized audiences with her incredible technique and range of musical expression.
-
to hypnotize or put into a trancelike state; cause (someone) to be open to the power of suggestion or unable to act on their own.
According to ancient myth, the song of the sea nymphs mesmerized sailors, drawing them into disastrous waters.
-
to cause or compel through fascination or by hypnotizing.
Advertising can easily mesmerize us into thinking that wealth is the same as money and possessions.
In this game scene, the warriors do not know they’ve been mesmerized into the service of the enemy.
verb
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a former word for hypnotize
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to hold (someone) as if spellbound
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mesmerizesimple
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mesmerizessimple
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have mesmerizedperfect
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has mesmerizedperfect
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am mesmerizingprogressive
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are mesmerizingprogressive
-
is mesmerizingprogressive
-
have been mesmerizingperfect progressive
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has been mesmerizingperfect progressive
Past
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mesmerizedsimple
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had mesmerizedperfect
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was mesmerizingprogressive
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were mesmerizingprogressive
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had been mesmerizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mesmerize
First recorded in 1820–30; back formation from mesmerism
Explanation
You meet someone and you can’t take your eyes off them, like you are connected by an invisible cord and can’t break free. Those kinds of people have the power to mesmerize, holding your attention like you’re under hypnosis. The word mesmerize comes from the last name of 18th century German physician Franz Mesmer, who believed that all people and objects are pulled together by a strong magnetic force, later called mesmerism. If you ever start to feel mesmerized, maybe it’s because you find someone fascinating, or maybe you’ve been hypnotized by a magician. Hard to tell from here.
Vocabulary lists containing mesmerize
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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:
Or, in the case of credit cards, they mesmerize you with the many glamorous perks you can acquire, failing to note the debt you may accrue in the process.
From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2026
Stripped of his good looks and seductive accent, Colin Farrell still managed to mesmerize in “The Penguin,” which not only resuscitated an exhausted genre but took it to a new level of storytelling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2025
Still there is the natural arm talent that can mesmerize with effortless form and quick release.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
This was the first domestic event since CNN’s creation in 1980 to mesmerize the nation with saturation coverage by cable television.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 7, 2023
They draw me in, mesmerize me, refuse to release me.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Not yet 30, the energetically self-assured German refugee soon mesmerizes the narrator and his four closest classmates—Aharon, Dan, Yair and Aya, the only female among them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Paul McCartney still sells out stadiums and mesmerizes audiences with his charm, charisma and the deepest songbook in pop, but at 83, his voice is more strain than sweetness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
Showing a person's worst side mesmerizes us and promotes engagement.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2023
But what really mesmerizes are the windows, and the speculations they invite about who lives behind them.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 9, 2022
What is done from a genuine, strong, inward emotion, whether in writing or painting, always mesmerizes the paper, or the canvas, and gives it a power which every body must feel, though few know why.
From Sunny Memories of Foreign Lands, Volume 2 by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Huerta didn’t talk for long, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen an audience as mesmerized.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson later recalled being mesmerized by the album, the first record, to his mind, that didn’t have any filler.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
Jiyoung Sohn and Timothy W. Martin review the case that has mesmerized South Koreans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
“Son of Sam just mesmerized everybody for a long period,” recalled Michael Oreskes, then a reporter for the Daily News, whereas “LaGuardia was a one-time thing that then nobody could explain, nobody could figure out.”
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
He was mesmerized by it all, by the smells and the sounds, he could not have stopped looking even when he did not want to look.
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
Anchored, via just eight bolts, to a concrete pad a floor below the ground, it’s a mesmerizing monument that feels as if it’s emerging from the earth to burst into space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
He proved a natural for the medium: handsome with a beautiful voice and mesmerizing eyes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
François-Pierre Couture’s scenic design is mesmerizing without ever being overbearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
America’s most-loved fictional titans, Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne, have bottomless wealth to fund their vigilante adventures, making them especially mesmerizing to an audience raised on rags-to-riches fables.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
It was so mesmerizing to see plain cupcakes become beautifully decorated within seconds.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
