spellbind

American  

[spel-bahynd] / ˈspɛlˌbaɪnd /

verb (used with object)

spellbound, spellbinding

1. to hold or bind by or as if by a spell; enchant; entrance; fascinate.

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spellbind British  

/ ˈspɛlˌbaɪnd /

verb

1. (tr) to cause to be spellbound; entrance or enthral

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Other Word Forms

• spellbindingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of spellbind

1800–10; spell ² + bind, deduced from spellbound

Example Sentences

Meant to be all-powerful and spellbinding, he comes across as merely eccentric.

From The Wall Street Journal

Like the rest of Rebecca Zlotowski’s spellbinding film, this bit of character work in “A Private Life” — or, in its original French, “Vie Privée” — keenly marries French filmmaking with American sensibilities.

From Salon

Form and content, the visual and the physical, create art’s spellbinding double helix.

From Los Angeles Times

Formally, the spellbinding property is named the Lawrence and Martha Joseph Residence and Apartments, named after the Disney artist and his wife who obsessively spent three decades building it.

From Los Angeles Times

It was quite an experience for the Incorrigibles to hear this spellbinding story, especially since it was about them.

From Literature

Related Words

• beguile
• charm
• mesmerize