rapt
Americanadjective
-
deeply engrossed or absorbed.
a rapt listener.
-
transported with emotion; enraptured.
rapt with joy.
- Synonyms:
- bewitched, spellbound, ecstatic
-
showing or proceeding from rapture.
a rapt smile.
-
carried off spiritually to another place, sphere of existence, etc.
adjective
-
totally absorbed; engrossed; spellbound, esp through or as if through emotion
rapt with wonder
-
characterized by or proceeding from rapture
a rapt smile
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rapt
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Middle English, past participle of rapen “to carry off, abduct, rape,” from Latin raptus “seized, carried off,” past participle of rapere
Explanation
To be rapt is to be carried away, caught up, or otherwise engrossed in something. If a performer is really good or particularly mesmerizing, the audience will be totally rapt. Rapt developed from the Latin raptus, meaning to “seize, carry off." So imagine something so interesting that it seizes your attention and carries you off to another world. In fact, rapt is related to the word rapture, which is an experience of extreme, other-worldly happiness. So do your teacher a favor and give her your rapt attention during math class.
Vocabulary lists containing rapt
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Grade 11, List 3
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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.
The tears, Sherman reassured her rapt audience, were “largely exhaustion.”
From Slate • May 1, 2026
It's now 24 years since Rhona Martin delivered the Stone of Destiny in Salt Lake City, watched by millions of rapt viewers at dark o'clock in the UK.
From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026
Former skipper Joe Root was equally rapt to finally get a win on Australian soil, but acknowledged it came too late with the Ashes already lost.
From Barron's • Dec. 27, 2025
He told the CBC that it took hundreds of attempts to capture these slow-burning masterworks, and all these years later, hygge-seekers remain rapt.
From Salon • Dec. 18, 2025
After Roosevelt clearly pointed to the exact location of the formerly unknown river, the audience listened in rapt attention to his stories of hardship and survival.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
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.
