spellbound
Americanadjective
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bound by or as if by a spell; enchanted, entranced, or fascinated.
a spellbound audience.
adjective
-
having one's attention held as though one is bound by a spell
a spellbound audience
Etymology
Origin of 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.
As her landscapes show, Münter was spellbound by Murnau’s simplicity and sincerity.
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
“The Gentleman From Peru” takes place in a hotel where a group of friends are spellbound by a stranger’s tale of thwarted romance.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2025
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
But his eyes showed that even he was spellbound.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
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.