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.

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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

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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

I can still conjure it: the heated seat warming my back, the hot chocolate coating my throat, the cinnamon strudel giving way under my teeth.

From Salon

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

Just because the strident crunch of Freya Ridings' recent singles conjures up images of a medieval army riding into battle, that doesn't mean she's a warrior queen blessed with bottomless self-confidence.

From BBC

Not so long ago, tattered old maps of Africa’s most remote mining regions would conjure up images of Allan Quatermain cutting his way deep into the jungle in search of King Solomon’s Mines.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mail-order catalogs such as the midcentury Sears, Roebuck Christmas edition overflowed with evocative shades—winterberry, burnished beige, rico green—meant to conjure a feeling as much as a hue.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• exorcise
• invoke
• summon