captivate
Americanverb
-
to hold the attention of by fascinating; enchant
-
an obsolete word for capture
Other Word Forms
- captivatingly adverb
- captivation noun
- captivative adjective
- captivator noun
- uncaptivated adjective
- uncaptivative adjective
Etymology
Origin of captivate
First recorded in 1520–30; from Late Latin captīvātus (past participle of captīvāre “to take captive”), equivalent to Latin captīv(us) captive + -ātus -ate 1
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.
And in her captivating interpretation, Fennell makes her viewers feel everything.
From Salon
Yet there are still few answers in the search for “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother, a case that has captivated the country.
Precious metals have captivated people for centuries and continue to play a role in the modern world—as portfolio diversification, as a hedge against inflation, as a haven during tumultuous times and for industrial uses.
An acrobatic closing section featuring a backflip, aerial twist and a one-armed cartwheel captivated the crowd, who cheered wildly.
From Barron's
Noah Whiteman, a professor of molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley, hailed the paper for demystifying a symbiotic relationship that has captivated scientists.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions 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.
