enchant
Americanverb (used with object)
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enchants,
present (3rd person singular)
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enchanted,
past participle, past
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enchanting
present participle
verb
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to cast a spell on; bewitch
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to delight or captivate utterly; fascinate; charm
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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enchantsimple
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enchantssimple
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have enchantedperfect
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has enchantedperfect
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am enchantingprogressive
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are enchantingprogressive
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is enchantingprogressive
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have been enchantingperfect progressive
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has been enchantingperfect progressive
Past
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enchantedsimple
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had enchantedperfect
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was enchantingprogressive
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were enchantingprogressive
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had been enchantingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of enchant
1325–75; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French enchanter < Latin incantāre to put a spell on; see incantation
Explanation
To enchant is to cast a spell over someone, like a witch might do. It also means to attract or catch someone's attention in a less mystical way. Enchanting has a few meanings, but they all involve seduction. A witch or warlock enchants people they wish to influence through magic spells. A real person enchants in different ways: through jokes, good looks, and charisma. Not only people, but also engrossing songs or shows can be said "to enchant."
Vocabulary lists containing enchant
The Cricket in Times Square
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A Boy Called Bat
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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:
Instead, throw yourself into the music, art and theater festivals that enchant the nation all summer long.
From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026
Round numbers always enchant humans, especially when they’re big round numbers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
He also reveals how the York sound—full, warm and resonant—continues to enchant tuba players and enthusiasts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told Reuters that Moscow was not "trying to enchant anyone."
From Reuters ● Sep. 15, 2023
We were going to find an abandoned mansion, and she was going to enchant birds to take care of us.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Mr. Coyne excels at chronicling the many different ways golf enchants its aficionados.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Friends of the Lake District's land manager, Jan Darrall, said the thought of a rainforest in Cumbria "enchants and inspires people".
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
The masque, performed by gentle spirits, enchants the betrothed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2025
Porter enchants me with his acoustic guitar solos, and Eslaminia captivates my imagination with her soulful recitations of the Lebanese poet’s most famous lines.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 14, 2021
That would be humiliating, because then he would show that he knows that gallantry enchants me; will he be mysterious?
From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson
“An enchanted hideaway in a coveted location with inviting outdoor retreats and peek-a-boo views to downtown Los Angeles create an idyllic setting,” the listing adds.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
At the core of “Land” is the sacred grove that enchanted Tomás and survives as a point “of confluence between our world and other worlds.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
But Crowther’s sleuthing determines that Joyce’s novel was a regular companion of hers, and she was particularly enchanted with Molly Bloom’s closing soliloquy.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026
That doesn’t take away from the experiences they provide—movies have enchanted audiences for generations despite being only still photos.
From Slate ● May 25, 2026
He was brimming with questions of his own, like how Auntie North had found out about the existence of enchanted books.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Charlize Theron is appropriately enchanting as Calypso, whose charms waylay and confuse Odysseus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
The camerawork is dynamic and the film boasts some of the most beautiful, enchanting lighting I’ve seen in any feature this year, maybe this decade so far.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Something enchanting might need to occur down there for Scotland to secure what they set out to do.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
In Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s 1965 novel for young readers, a 12-year-old girl finds an enchanting refuge in a forbidding mansion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
Ignoring Mamá’s rule, the rest of the girls scrambled to their feet and ran to see where the enchanting voice was coming from.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
