mesmerize

[ mez-muh-rahyz, mes- ]

/ ˈmɛz məˌraɪz, ˈmɛs- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR mesmerize ON THESAURUS.COM

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

to hypnotize.

to spellbind; fascinate.

to compel by fascination.

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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, nounmes·mer·iz·er, nounun·mes·mer·ized, adjective

Words nearby mesmerize

mesityl oxide, mesitylene, mesmer, mesmeric, mesmerism, mesmerize, mesnalty, mesne, mesne lord, meso-, mesoamerica

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for mesmerized

I had been mesmerized all my life by her tales of love, war, and escape that played out like a movie before my eyes.
‘Crossing the Borders of Time:’ A Mother’s Rekindled Love|Sandra McElwaine|May 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Two weeks ago the 30-minute video “Kony 2012” shocked and mesmerized the world via YouTube.
Where’s the Outrage Over the Killing of Trayvon Martin?|Allison Samuels|March 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Despite mounting evidence, Bristol “ignored his lies, mesmerized by what I thought was love.”
Bristol Palin’s Memoir: The Juiciest Bits|Marlow Stern|June 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He was mesmerized by the variety and the ease with which everything appeared.
My Disney Cruise from Hell|Laura Bennett|April 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST

I was mesmerized by the magic radio was,” Beck remembers, “how it could create pictures in my head.
Glenn Beck's Dark Past|John Avlon|January 22, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Davy Lannarck, who had spent his adult life in facing the public, now knew that he had 'em mesmerized.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
As if mesmerized by the intensity of this remarkable young reformer, the lawyer found himself repeating, "I wonder!"
Ten American Girls From History|Kate Dickinson Sweetser
Knowing what you do now, would you want Augustus or baby or me to be mesmerized, and subject to the thought of any man you know?
Professor Huskins|Lettie M. Cummings
He felt as if he had been mesmerized; as if he could neither move nor speak.
The Borough Treasurer|Joseph Smith Fletcher
Gannaway was mesmerized and stood in one corner of the dining-room.
Telepathy and the Subliminal Self|R. Osgood Mason

British Dictionary definitions for mesmerized

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

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

QUIZZES

Origin of mesmerize

OTHER WORDS FROM mesmerize

Words nearby mesmerize

Words related to mesmerized

Example sentences from the Web for mesmerized

British Dictionary definitions for mesmerized

mesmerise

verb (tr)

Derived forms of mesmerize