spellbound

[ spel-bound ]

/ ˈspɛlˌbaʊnd /

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adjective

bound by or as if by a spell; enchanted, entranced, or fascinated: a spellbound audience.

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Origin of spellbound

First recorded in 1790–1800; spell² + -bound¹

Words nearby spellbound

speleotherapy, spelk, spell, spellbind, spellbinder, spellbound, spell-check, spell checker, spelldown, speller, speller-divider

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spellbound in a sentence

He came at David O. Selznick's urging, and together they made Rebecca, Spellbound, and The Paradine Case.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Where we had once stood spellbound by the sight of the burning towers, we now listened to the unholy roar of the wind.
New York City’s Sandy Disaster: A Meteorological 9/11?|Michael Daly|October 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Eleven years ago, New Yorkers were spellbound by the sight of the burning towers.
New York City’s Sandy Disaster: A Meteorological 9/11?|Michael Daly|October 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
At the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Justice Richard Lussick read the verdict to about 80 spellbound listeners.
War Criminal Charles Taylor’s Daughter Defends Her Dad|Robtel Neajai Pailey|April 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The audience was spellbound to hear panelist Zin Mar Aung give her dramatic, firsthand account of life behind bars in Burma.
Burmese Spring or Phony Thaw?|Melinda Liu|March 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Kip Burland was on his feet while the others remained spellbound by the brand of light.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
A strident voice drowned the scandal, and an admiring group ceased smoking and listened spellbound to a characteristic anecdote.
The Chequers|James Runciman
Mary felt herself held captive as her spellbound gaze followed Morgiana.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
Voices were hushed, and the three stood listening spellbound, to the wonderful impassioned song.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
Was she in fancy seeming that she was in an opera-house before thousands of spellbound admirers?
Tiger Cat|David H. Keller

British Dictionary definitions for spellbound

spellbound

/ (ˈspɛlˌbaʊnd) /

adjective

having one's attention held as though one is bound by a spella spellbound audience

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

spellbound

Origin of spellbound

Words nearby spellbound

Words related to spellbound

How to use spellbound in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spellbound