bewitch
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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to attract and fascinate; enchant
-
to cast a spell over
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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bewitchernoun
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bewitcherynoun
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bewitchingnessnoun
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bewitchmentnoun
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bewitchingadjective
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bewitchinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bewitchsimple
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bewitchessimple
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have bewitchedperfect
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has bewitchedperfect
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am bewitchingprogressive
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are bewitchingprogressive
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is bewitchingprogressive
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have been bewitchingperfect progressive
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has been bewitchingperfect progressive
Past
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bewitchedsimple
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had bewitchedperfect
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was bewitchingprogressive
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were bewitchingprogressive
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had been bewitchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bewitch
First recorded in 1175–1225, bewitch is from the Middle English word biwicchen; see be-, witch
Explanation
To bewitch is to cast a spell on someone with witchcraft or to capture their attention in another way. You might bewitch someone with your beauty or with your potion. The choice is yours. The word witch is a big clue to what bewitching means. In a Halloween story, if a witch casts a spell over someone to control them, that's an example of bewitching. Bewitching happens in the real world when something captures your attention or attracts you. A fascinating storyteller bewitches you. When people fall in love, they bewitch one another.
Vocabulary lists containing bewitch
Born a Crime
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"The Flight of Icarus" by Sally Benson
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Merci Suárez Changes Gears
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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:
Unlike Godard, he doesn’t try to bewitch you with theory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
The prosecution alleged that Phiri and Candunde were hired by a fugitive former MP to bewitch Hichilema.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2025
Well, when there are people available to bewitch.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 5, 2022
The Friz’s diverse interests, complete fearlessness, and unflagging cheer both annoy and bewitch her students.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2020
The Creevey brothers had managed to get hold of a stack of Support Cedric Diggory! badges and were trying to bewitch them to make them say Support Harry Potter! instead.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
He has constructed a glossy fever dream that bewitches as much as it befuddles.
From Salon ● May 20, 2022
An Ozark faith healer bewitches two construction engineers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2020
Its heroine Seren must battle a vengeful supernatural being that bewitches her adoptive aristocratic Welsh family.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 9, 2019
The garden — also rich in watery pools and jumbo succulents in bright pots — still bewitches with its far-from-the-dusty-medina vibe.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 1, 2019
Strange things happen in the group of tales, and not the least is the tale of the maiden in the screen whose loveliness so bewitches a youth that he becomes sick unto death.
From Concerning Lafcadio Hearn With a Bibliography by Laura Stedman by Gould, George M. (George Milbrey)
Studebaker halted Avanti production after only a year; but the design lived on until 2006, with its rights passing through a succession of wildcat coachbuilders too bewitched to help themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2025
"Wicked" has bewitched even its most reluctant fans, enticing them to overstay their welcome in the magical world of Oz.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2025
In Episode 1, the bewitched Agatha peers into what appears to be a child’s room in her house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2024
Andrea Carnevale, the former Italy striker who is now a scout for Udinese, was said to have been bewitched by the Veronese kid.
From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2023
Fred and George bewitched a number of purple lanterns, all emblazoned with a large number 17, to hang in midair over the guests.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
It’s an enchanting companion to a bewitching exhibition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
When Conlon conducts the final performance of the company’s bewitching production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” Sunday afternoon that will also mark his last appearance as L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
It was expensive, but worth every penny — a beautiful, abstract rendering of the film’s themes, displayed in a bewitching graphic style I couldn’t get out of my mind after coveting the poster online.
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2026
The cutesy performance shtick around a shoestring variety show — imagine Pee-wee’s Playhouse without the bewitching oddity — grows wearying.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025
Losing focus made you careless in the forest, and worst of all, left you open to bewitching.
From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba
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.
