besot

American

[bih-sot] / bɪˈsɒt /

verb (used with object)

besotted, besotting

to intoxicate or stupefy with drink.
to make stupid or foolish.

The stories had besotted her mind with fear and superstition.
to infatuate; obsess.

Youth and beauty have a tendency to besot middle-aged men; charm and tenderness does it for women of all ages.

Other Word Forms

besottingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of besot

First recorded in 1575–85; be + sot

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.

This is a thronged, esoteric, besottedly allusive novel, one of the most niche things I have ever reviewed.

From The Wall Street Journal

This summer is the 20th anniversary of his U.S. debut — at 24 years old — conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and becoming irrepressibly besotted with the amphitheater.

From Los Angeles Times

Like so many Americans of a certain class and character, he’s besotted with the British royal family and insisted, in defiance of all available evidence, that he was good friends with the late Queen Elizabeth.

From Salon

Then, as now, they're an exceptionally cute couple – tender and funny and clearly besotted with one another.

From BBC

I could sense this even as a “Star Wars”-besotted 8-year-old.

From Los Angeles Times

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