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

If Gellar didn’t have such a spellbinding screen presence, one might think she was the common denominator factor in all of these failed series.

From Salon

Here are the main talking points after a spellbinding fourth round of the Six Nations.

From BBC

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

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

Related Words

• beguile
• charm
• mesmerize