conjure
Americanverb (used with object)
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conjures,
present (3rd person singular)
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conjured,
past participle, past
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conjuring
present participle
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to affect or influence by or as if by invocation or spell.
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to effect, produce, bring, etc., by or as by magic.
to conjure a miracle.
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to call upon or command (a devil or spirit) by invocation or spell.
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to call or bring into existence by or as if by magic (usually followed byup ).
She seemed to have conjured up the person she was talking about.
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to bring to mind; recall (usually followed byup ).
to conjure up the past.
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to appeal to solemnly or earnestly.
I conjure you to hear my plea.
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Obsolete. to charge solemnly.
verb (used without object)
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conjures,
present (3rd person singular)
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conjured,
past participle, past
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conjuring
present participle
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to call upon or command a devil or spirit by invocation or spell.
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to practice magic.
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to practice legerdemain.
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Obsolete. to conspire.
noun
verb
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(intr) to practise conjuring or be a conjuror
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(intr) to call upon supposed supernatural forces by spells and incantations
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(tr) to appeal earnestly or strongly to
I conjure you to help me
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a person thought to have great power or influence
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any name that excites the imagination
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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conjuresimple
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conjuressimple
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have conjuredperfect
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has conjuredperfect
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am conjuringprogressive
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are conjuringprogressive
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is conjuringprogressive
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have been conjuringperfect progressive
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has been conjuringperfect progressive
Past
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conjuredsimple
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had conjuredperfect
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was conjuringprogressive
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were conjuringprogressive
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had been conjuringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of conjure
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English conj(o)uren, cunjouren, from Anglo-French, Old French conjurer, from Latin conjūrāre “to join in taking an oath, form an alliance, join a plot or conspiracy,” equivalent to con- prefix meaning “with, together” + jūrāre “to take an oath, swear,” derivative of jūr- inflectional stem of jūs “law”; cf. con-, jury 1, justice
Explanation
If your mom can magically conjure up the most delicious meals from the most random ingredients in the kitchen, she might just be the best cook in the neighborhood. Sometimes the mere sight or smell of something can conjure or stir up long lost memories, magically transporting you back to another place and time. But in the early 13th century, conjure was a bit more sinister — it meant using a spell to capture a demon to do one's bidding. In our modern day, conjure still carries the meaning of summoning a spirit, but it more regularly means to summon an idea or bring something into existence.
Vocabulary lists containing conjure
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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You Be the Judge: Jud, Jur, Jus
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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:
And Mylette Nora’s costumes artfully conjure both the underworld and the spiritual realm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
The original 1998 film hardly enchanted critics upon its debut, but went on to conjure a cult following that had kept hopes of a sequel alive ever since.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
“As if Claridge’s and Chiltern Firehouse had a baby,” Jones says of the vibe he wanted to conjure, as he led me on a tour in late June.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
"I had hoped that Nolan's affinity with these Homeric themes might push him to new creative heights, and enable him to conjure more believable characters," she wrote.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
It made Ella think about who she would be without conjure.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Reviewing the earlier iteration, our critic said the show paints “Moses as more complicated than the cheerful, childlike images her name conjures and as a legitimizer of self-taught art.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Watching Xabi Alonso coach his Chelsea team conjures flashbacks of his playing days at Liverpool and Real Madrid.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
To call his latest film a contemporary masterwork would be true, but there’s also no quantifying the magic McElwee conjures here, no comparing it to anything else.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
The phrase "American dream" was coined in the 1930s and often conjures up images of suburban families, solid jobs and beach vacations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
“Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus,” said Lupin, “which is a kind of anti-dementor — a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor.”
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
And on the very first hole, Stark conjured the shot of the competition so far, her approach to the green on the par four dropping straight into the cup for an eagle.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
Then once more, at the behest of RCA Records, to Bonnie Tyler — a name she conjured up by mixing and matching names she read in a local newspaper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
It set up an absorbing final quarter, and after Love's penalty pushed the All Blacks' lead out to four, Jordan conjured another clutch finish after a neat Luke Jacobsen offload.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Not that the songs weren’t admirably performed, but the same intensity of emotion can’t be conjured out of thin air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
From this modest, cramped perch, Harvey conjured up big plans for the CIA's secret war against the communist enemy.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Everyone knows the outdated and offensive characterization of a cat lady — a stereotype conjuring images of solitude, eccentricities and probably cartons of ice cream.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
But private money managers have been conjuring up new debt instruments faster than thinly stretched state insurance commissioners can rein them in, and the regulatory process sometimes resembles a game of whac-a-mole.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
For more than 20 years, Lionel Messi has been able to do anything he wants on a soccer pitch, bending the game to his will and conjuring otherworldly moves out of thin air.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
In a World Cup where the boffins with their big brainy heads and their super computers are working overtime on who might play who in the last 32, there are other calculations worth conjuring with.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
She stared at him for a moment, then swayed alarmingly; Madam Pomfrey, who seemed to have pulled herself together, ran forward, conjuring a chair from thin air, which she pushed under McGonagall.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
