spellbind
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spellbind
1800–10; spell 2 + bind, deduced from spellbound
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:
I saw him spellbind a room reciting Sophocles.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 11, 2023
And yet, onstage, under the pink LEDs, the dancers spellbind.
From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2020
“Throughout his life in jazz, Cecil continues to spellbind or infuriate listeners.”
From Reuters ● Apr. 6, 2018
To many, it has lost its power to truly spellbind and has become just another disenchanted thing in a world with a depressing deficit of magic.
From Time Magazine Archive
We here at the Mumbai Young Filmmakers Council are all in agreement that Miss Mehra possesses the unique ability to truly transform her characters on-screen in such a way as to spellbind her audience.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
“Charming built-ins” and “exposed wood beams” give the interior a vintage feel, while the lush landscaping outside is equally as spellbinding.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
But she eventually brushed herself down and stunned the onlooking crowd with her spellbinding third run, her coach bursting into tears at the realisation of what Choi had achieved.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026
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 ● Jan. 18, 2026
Glinda’s “Wizard of Oz” entrance is spellbinding, as she descends in a floating bubble.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025
But there were other times when that emotion made him spellbinding and untouchable.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
At Wembley, those qualities - combined with armour-plated pop smashes like As It Was and Watermelon Sugar - had the audience spellbound.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
A former professor of biology at the University of the South, Mr. Haskell has made a career of explaining the lives of plants to spellbound audiences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
To hear Judith Light, Jessica Hecht, Linda Lavin, Peter Frechette, Slattery or Whitford converse in this heightened theatrical patois was to become instantly spellbound.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2025
Within a couple of minutes, it snakes all the way back to the entrance, populated by doting parents and spellbound preteens hoping they arrived in time.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2024
She had been listening slightly spellbound to this smooth recital, and now she said, "How far can you go?"
From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
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