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spellbound

American  
[spel-bound] / ˈspɛlˌbaʊnd /

adjective

  1. bound by or as if by a spell; enchanted, entranced, or fascinated.

    a spellbound audience.
spellbound British  
/ ˈspɛlˌbaʊnd /

adjective

  1. having one's attention held as though one is bound by a spell

    a 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

Etymology

Origin of spellbound

First recorded in 1790–1800; spell 2 + -bound 1

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.

I spent several hours spellbound by the aquarium—don’t miss the octopus and jellyfish tanks—and the museum of the world’s oceans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 10, 2026

Wicked: For Good has received broadly positive reviews from critics - but many are far less spellbound than they were by the first film.

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025

Also, Joni Mitchell played “Coyote,” accompanied by Dylan, for spellbound band members at Gordon Lightfoot’s house.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2024

But Las Vegas seems spellbound by the Super Bowl, which is making its first appearance in a place that the N.F.L., not so long ago, avoided to the point of parody.

From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2024

Paris had been spellbound by breathless Mona Lisa coverage.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.