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• séance
  séance

  noun

  a meeting in which a spiritualist attempts to communicate with the spirits of the dead.
• seance
  seance

  noun

  a meeting at which spiritualists attempt to receive messages from the spirits of the dead

séance

American  

[say-ahns] / ˈseɪ ɑns /

noun

1. a meeting in which a spiritualist attempts to communicate with the spirits of the dead.

2. a session or sitting, as of a class or organization.

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seance British  

/ ˈseɪɑ̃ns, -ɑːns /

noun

1. a meeting at which spiritualists attempt to receive messages from the spirits of the dead

2. a meeting of a society

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Spelling

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Etymology

Origin of séance

1795–1805; < French: session, equivalent to sé-, base of seoir to sit ¹ (< Latin sedēre ) + -ance -ance

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Explanation

A seance is a kind of magical ritual that involves summoning ghosts or spirits of people who have died. You and your friends might have a seance in an attempt to speak to Amelia Earhart. Someone who believes in spirits that linger even after people's physical bodies are gone may also be enthusiastic about seances. A typical seance involves a group of people sitting around a table, sometimes including a medium who claims an ability to communicate with spirits and relay messages to their loved ones. In French, séance means "a sitting," and it's often simply used to mean "a session," like une séance de cinéma, "a movie session."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

séance seance

One such inquiry takes them to the residence of a medium named Doreen Chimes, who invites Rideout to participate in a well-attended séance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

A stray orange cat; a séance in a hostel; a “nearsighted galoot” who decodes cryptic messages from Radio Pyongyang; flashlights that aren’t just flashlights — these bread crumbs guide us to the novel’s denouement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2025

The segment covers story themes, character motivations, casting, period costuming, shooting in Venice, the non-rehearsed séance scene and Mr. Branagh’s multifunctional role in the film.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 7, 2023

No, there is no séance with the supernatural nor summoning of spirits, just a jangle of regrets.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2023

“Why do I feel certain you had a hand in this séance business, governess?”

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

An hour into “Sinners” comes a risky scene that could have derailed Ryan Coogler’s hit vampire movie: a juke-joint seance that involves a hip-hop DJ, a breakdancer, a Funkadelic-esque guitarist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025

"It definitely took on elements of being like a seance," said Dominik, who spent more than a decade trying to bring the book of the same name by Joyce Carol Oatesby to the screen.

From Reuters ● Sep. 8, 2022

“Even my contractor asked if he could hold a little seance at the property,” he said.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 18, 2022

The journalist also recruited paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren to help her perform a seance at the site.

From Fox News ● Oct. 15, 2021

But when she peeked into the parlor, her mother was sitting alone at the seance table, her eyes closed, as if in a trance.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

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