conjure
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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
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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:
Whether anyone can conjure words to match, or be as long-lasting and memorable, as Bjorge Lillelien's remain to be seen, but there is every chance they will get a mention amid the action in Miami.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Known by acronyms that need no explanation, viruses like Covid, Sars and Ebola conjure up images of medics in protective suits and spark fear in populations worldwide.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
When most people think of the foundational figures in American environmentalism, they likely conjure up such wistful white Transcendentalists as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026
Typically, population declines and aging housing stock conjure visions of Rust Belt decay, where land loses value and abandoned homes sell for next to nothing.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Now folks are gonna tell stories about the time the Devil’s daughter got us to steal her conjure root so she could talk to High John.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
For millions of Disney fans, that phrase instantly conjures up memories of one of the biggest musical franchises of the 2000s.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 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
The West Hollywood clam shack conjures Rhode Island on the West Coast, be it with clams of all kinds, lobster cooked just right or oysters treated with reverence.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
Its plot conjures up a powerful spirit from an ancient epoch: the era of Richard Nixon, when “The Exorcist” was released.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
The word conjures up drive-ins, tract homes, waves of heat rising from the blacktop.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
But the focus was the music itself on Friday, and the ragtag roster of artists that fully conjured it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 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
The duo then conjured up plenty of drama and some superb snooker as they traded the next two frames.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
The company first previewed Sora to the world two years ago, showing dreamlike landscapes conjured up by the technology that invoked the fantastical worlds of Hayao Miyazaki, or perhaps the surrealism of Salvador Dalí.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
Cora had told Royal about the attic days in North Carolina, but seeing the year on the cover—an object conjured from the future—spurred Cora to her own magic.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
And conjuring up concerns about how the Olympics will operate when L.A. is supposed to open its arms to the world two years from now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
What follows are flights of wordplay, jokes, tragedies and rhymes “meant to be spoken aloud, as a form of conjuring back.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
For the viewer, the result is visceral, conjuring the same enchantment and terror Clark has while investigating the space.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
Those ideas were made manifest in lavish PR material conjuring up fantastical landscapes that attracted reams of coverage that mingled awe and derision.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
Leo sweeps his hand through the air, like he’s a magician conjuring a world.
From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
