bewitch

[bih-wich]

verb (used with object)

1. to affect by witchcraft or magic; cast a spell over.

2. to enchant; charm; fascinate.

   The painter bewitched the crowd with his latest work.

   Synonyms: transport, enrapture, captivate

verb (used without object)

1. to cause someone to be enchanted; cast a spell over someone.

   She lost her power to bewitch.

bewitch

/ bɪˈwɪtʃ /

verb

1. to attract and fascinate; enchant

2. to cast a spell over

Other Word Forms

• bewitcher noun
• bewitchery noun
• bewitchingness noun
• bewitchment noun
• bewitching adjective
• bewitchingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of bewitch¹

First recorded in 1175–1225, bewitch is from the Middle English word biwicchen; be-, witch

Word History and Origins

Origin of bewitch¹

C13 bewicchen ; see _be- , _witch

Example Sentences

The cutesy performance shtick around a shoestring variety show — imagine Pee-wee’s Playhouse without the bewitching oddity — grows wearying.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Yes, the bye week bewitched them in 2022 and 2023, when the offense lost its swagger and the Dodgers were beaten in two stunning division series upsets by the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He said people were "very rarely" prosecuted for practising witchcraft, but it helped protect elderly women who faced mob justice in villages after being accused of bewitching someone and causing their death.

Read more on BBC

Scroll through homes for sale in the Eastern Caribbean and it is no longer just bewitching beaches and a laid-back lifestyle being touted to woo buyers.

Read more on BBC

On screen, they possessed a bewitching stillness, performing barefoot in a pair of golden feathered trousers like some sort of musical Icarus.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• beguile 
• captivate 
• dazzle 
• enchant 
• enrapture 
• enthrall 
• fascinate 
• hypnotize