mesmerize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to completely capture the attention of; spellbind; fascinate.
This young pianist has mesmerized audiences with her incredible technique and range of musical expression.
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to hypnotize or put into a trancelike state; cause (someone) to be open to the power of suggestion or unable to act on their own.
According to ancient myth, the song of the sea nymphs mesmerized sailors, drawing them into disastrous waters.
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to cause or compel through fascination or by hypnotizing.
Advertising can easily mesmerize us into thinking that wealth is the same as money and possessions.
In this game scene, the warriors do not know they’ve been mesmerized into the service of the enemy.
verb
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a former word for hypnotize
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to hold (someone) as if spellbound
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mesmerizesimple
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mesmerizessimple
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have mesmerizedperfect
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has mesmerizedperfect
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am mesmerizingprogressive
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are mesmerizingprogressive
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is mesmerizingprogressive
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have been mesmerizingperfect progressive
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has been mesmerizingperfect progressive
Past
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mesmerizedsimple
-
had mesmerizedperfect
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was mesmerizingprogressive
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were mesmerizingprogressive
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had been mesmerizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mesmerize
First recorded in 1820–30; back formation from mesmerism
Explanation
You meet someone and you can’t take your eyes off them, like you are connected by an invisible cord and can’t break free. Those kinds of people have the power to mesmerize, holding your attention like you’re under hypnosis. The word mesmerize comes from the last name of 18th century German physician Franz Mesmer, who believed that all people and objects are pulled together by a strong magnetic force, later called mesmerism. If you ever start to feel mesmerized, maybe it’s because you find someone fascinating, or maybe you’ve been hypnotized by a magician. Hard to tell from here.
Vocabulary lists containing mesmerize
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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:
Stripped of his good looks and seductive accent, Colin Farrell still managed to mesmerize in “The Penguin,” which not only resuscitated an exhausted genre but took it to a new level of storytelling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2025
Still there is the natural arm talent that can mesmerize with effortless form and quick release.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
This was the first domestic event since CNN’s creation in 1980 to mesmerize the nation with saturation coverage by cable television.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 7, 2023
Sociologist Jean Boudrillard called the social world a "simulacrum," a hyper-reality full of noise, images, and symbols designed to mesmerize the mind and replace the boring real world.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2022
Garvey’s dance seemed to mesmerize Peter, who watched closely, following every movement.
From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen
But what really mesmerizes are the windows, and the speculations they invite about who lives behind them.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 9, 2022
“The painting completely mesmerized me, and it mesmerizes almost anyone who sees it.”
From New York Times ● May 4, 2022
RELATED: Tilda Swinton mesmerizes as a woman possessed in Pedro Almodóvar striking take on "The Human Voice"
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2022
An evocation of the so-called “Chinese Dream,” Jessica Kingdon’s observational documentary “Ascension” serves up a clockwork array of industrial imagery that mesmerizes as it also surprises and unsettles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2022
His mind is satisfied with that answer; he gets down his Annex and does an incantation or two, and that mesmerizes his spirit and puts that to sleep—brings it peace.
From Christian Science by Twain, Mark
Vesuvius in AD 79, he wasn’t just horrified, he was mesmerized, even excited; amid all that death it felt like the past was alive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Son of Sam just mesmerized everybody for a long period,” recalled Michael Oreskes, then a reporter for the Daily News, whereas “LaGuardia was a one-time thing that then nobody could explain, nobody could figure out.”
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Absolutely mesmerized by the project that the whole team did.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
He started sumo wrestling, too, and as a preteen was mesmerized by a YouTube clip he saw of a famous match between sumo legends Takanohana and Asashoryu.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026
After struggling another minute, I surrender the packet and find myself briefly mesmerized by the sight of him tearing open the package with his teeth.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The other actor whose presence deeply impacted the production, Nolan reports, is Samantha Morton, mesmerizing as Circe, the goddess who changes Odysseus’ men into swine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The Renaissance part of the exhibition is so mesmerizing that the modern portion feels like a bit of a letdown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
His moves and fakes, practice-perfected and charmingly earthbound, make him a mesmerizing threat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
The Booked Babes fall quiet as they thumb through their astrology booklets, reading about destiny, transfixed by the mesmerizing promise of inevitable fate.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026
It’s mesmerizing, and not like any mosque I’ve seen before.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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.
