mesmerize

[ mez-muh-rahyz, mes- ]

/ ˈmɛz məˌraɪz, ˈmɛs- /

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See synonyms for: mesmerize / mesmerized / mesmerizing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), mes·mer·ized, mes·mer·iz·ing.

to hypnotize.

to spellbind; fascinate.

to compel by fascination.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also especially British, mes·mer·ise .

Origin of mesmerize

First recorded in 1820–30; mesmer(ism) + -ize

OTHER WORDS FROM mesmerize

mes·mer·i·za·tion

[mez-muh-rahy-zey-shuhn, mes-], /ˌmɛz məˌraɪˈzeɪ ʃən, ˌmɛs-/, nounmes·mer·iz·er, noun

Words nearby mesmerize

mesitylene, mesityl oxide, Mesmer, mesmeric, mesmerism, mesmerize, mesmerized, mesmerizing, mesnalty, mesne, mesne lord

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mesmerize in a sentence

Chen accomplished just that, mesmerizing with his speed and flow, and effortless leaps.
Nathan Chen Sets Himself Up for the Gold Medal With a World Record Short Program|Alice Park|February 8, 2022|Time
The glimmering shades of blue and green mesmerize curious fish and squid, tempting them closer.
This anglerfish has mastered a trick to light up the depths of the Pacific Ocean|Lauren J. Young|January 27, 2022|Popular-Science
I was mesmerized by her ease with it and could almost see what kind of person she might be in the world if I didn’t know her and she didn’t know me.
Be a good example|April Sopkin|October 27, 2021|MIT Technology Review
He was mesmerized by the way she moved the wood around in the fire, so that the fish never overcooked or fell apart.
Swahili Village brings a taste of African fine dining to D.C.|Tom Sietsema|April 2, 2021|Washington Post

Last April, former coach Bill O’Brien traded mesmerizing wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona for a cactus and a Grand Canyon day pass.
Deshaun Watson is taking a stand against disingenuous NFL owners. It could change the league.|Jerry Brewer|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
Unlikely star manages to mesmerize Jews, Arabs through 'Mizrahi' songs.
The Shots and the Screams|Orly Halpern|April 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"They used to tell me that I had the strange gift of being able to mesmerize people," she muttered.
Jolly Sally Pendleton|Laura Jean Libbey
If I were to mesmerize all the women who wish me to, I should have no opportunity to benefit science by any valuable experiments.
Professor Huskins|Lettie M. Cummings
As she knew the truth, she was telling it to him, as surely as she was doing her skillful best to mesmerize him.
King--of the Khyber Rifles|Talbot Mundy
He would mesmerize me into a most refreshing sleep with a prolonged and pleasing manipulation.
Summer Cruising in the South Seas|Charles Warren Stoddard
Your man may be a fancy mesmerizer, or mesmerize you, now that it is flying about like an epidemic, without knowing it.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine -- Volume 55, No. 340, February, 1844|Various

British Dictionary definitions for mesmerize

mesmerize

mesmerise

/ (ˈmɛzməˌraɪz) /

verb (tr)

a former word for hypnotize

to hold (someone) as if spellbound

Derived forms of mesmerize

mesmerization or mesmerisation, nounmesmerizer or mesmeriser, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mesmerize

Origin of mesmerize

OTHER WORDS FROM mesmerize

Words nearby mesmerize

Words related to mesmerize

How to use mesmerize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mesmerize

mesmerise

Derived forms of mesmerize