conjure

American  

[kon-jer, kuhn-, kuhn-joor] / ˈkɒn dʒər, ˈkʌn-, kənˈdʒʊər /

verb (used with object)

conjured, conjuring

1. to affect or influence by or as if by invocation or spell.

2. to effect, produce, bring, etc., by or as by magic.

   to conjure a miracle.

3. to call upon or command (a devil or spirit) by invocation or spell.

   Synonyms:

   invoke, raise, summon

4. 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.

5. to bring to mind; recall (usually followed byup ).

   to conjure up the past.

6. to appeal to solemnly or earnestly.

   I conjure you to hear my plea.

7. Obsolete. to charge solemnly.

---

verb (used without object)

conjured, conjuring

1. to call upon or command a devil or spirit by invocation or spell.

2. to practice magic.

3. to practice legerdemain.

4. Obsolete. to conspire.

noun

1. Chiefly Southern U.S. an act or instance of witchcraft, Hoodoo, or Voodoo, especially a spell.

conjure British  

/ ˈkʌndʒə /

verb

1. (intr) to practise conjuring or be a conjuror

2. (intr) to call upon supposed supernatural forces by spells and incantations

3. (tr) to appeal earnestly or strongly to

   I conjure you to help me

4. 1. a person thought to have great power or influence

   2. any name that excites the imagination

---

Other Word Forms

• unconjured adjective

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”; con-, jury ¹, justice

Example Sentences

Her vivid imagination would "conjure up the worse eventualities".

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

Those pictures require patience, time, and pain to conjure on the part of the applicant.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

Horror podcasting isn’t just about the things that go bump in the night, but what those bumps sound like, and the images they conjure in a listener’s mind.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

Talk of military AI can conjure images of killer robots, but the reality is that its biggest uses now are often off the battlefield, in time-consuming and labor-intensive fields like intelligence, mission planning and logistics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

She didn't even look into the bayou when they'd go out with Gran to gather sacred water for conjure work.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• exorcise
• invoke
• summon