spellbound
[spel-bound]
- bound by or as if by a spell; enchanted, entranced, or fascinated: a spellbound audience.
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Origin of spellbound
spellbind
[spel-bahynd]
- to hold or bind by or as if by a spell; enchant; entrance; fascinate.
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Origin of spellbind
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for spellbound
Contemporary Examples
He came at David O. Selznick's urging, and together they made Rebecca, Spellbound, and The Paradine Case.
Eleven years ago, New Yorkers were spellbound by the sight of the burning towers.
At the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Justice Richard Lussick read the verdict to about 80 spellbound listeners.
The audience was spellbound to hear panelist Zin Mar Aung give her dramatic, firsthand account of life behind bars in Burma.
Historical Examples
And then her eyes were caught by something that held her spellbound with horror.
The Heart of Thunder MountainEdfrid A. Bingham
There was something in that sweet old face that kept them spellbound.
The Old Countess; or, The Two ProposalsAnn S. Stephens
The realization and quick understanding held him spellbound.
Spellbound Jacques gazed upon the scene of awful destruction.
Fighting in FranceRoss Kay
Our breath came back, and the spellbound silence was broken.
The Right StuffIan Hay
spellbound
- having one's attention held as though one is bound by a spella spellbound audience
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spellbind
- (tr) to cause to be spellbound; entrance or enthral
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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
Word Origin and History for spellbound
spellbind
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper