enthral
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to hold spellbound; enchant; captivate
-
obsolete to hold as thrall; enslave
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of enthral
C16: from en- 1 + thrall
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:
His music will continue to enthral the coming generations.
From BBC ● May 10, 2022
They also constantly tried to reinvent the revolution to enthral and entertain the masses.
From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2017
Despite being nearly a century old, this finely wrought composition system and its principal exponents still alarm more often than they enthral.
From The Guardian ● May 6, 2016
"His extraordinary body of work has made him one of the most recognisable and best-loved stars of the big screen, whose films enthral and delight audiences across the globe."
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2014
Thy note—it is silent, thy song—it is hushed, No more shall thy music entrance or enthral, The music that like the blue rivulet gushed, A finger of terror has silenced it all.
From The Minstrel A Collection of Poems by Amott, Lennox
He was enthralled by Helga Monson de Kansky.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Investors, according to experts, are really enthralled by SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk’s star power — or what’s been referred to as a “Musk premium” — and vision of the future.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
As a youth, Rodríguez Castro spent much of his time at his grandfather’s house enthralled with the macho atmosphere of guns and bodybuilding prevalent in Raúl Castro’s security detail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
Selina Brown pored over books as a child, enthralled at the wonders leaping from the pages.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
He was struck, however, by how enthralled Myrta seemed to be whenever Holmes was around and by how even Myrta’s mother—Belknap’s niece by marriage—appeared to glow in Holmes’s presence.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Northamptonshire Steelbacks claimed their third T20 Blast title after beating Hampshire Hawks in an enthralling Edgbaston final.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Knoll has written romantic scenes before, but “Helpless” needed to be enthralling and economic enough not to get her kicked off of Target’s bookshelves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Welcome to the Washington Metro, home to the country’s most enthralling rapid transit stations, a Brutalist masterpiece with a design discipline so consistent it reads like an architectural civics lesson.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Monday's enthralling match was one of the games of the season and the result, following an incredible finale, might well prove pivotal at the end of the campaign.
From BBC ● May 4, 2026
Though the reality and meaning of the Bible stories seemed vast and alien, I still found the stories enthralling, so I said: “The Bible stories are nice.”
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
