enchant

play

verb en·chant \in-ˈchant, en-\

Definition of enchant

transitive verb
1 : to influence by or as if by charms and incantation : bewitch
2 : to attract and move deeply : rouse to ecstatic admiration the scene enchanted her to the point of tears — Elinor Wylie

See enchant defined for English-language learners

See enchant defined for kids

Examples of enchant in a Sentence

The book has enchanted children for almost a century.
The beauty of the place enchants.

Recent Examples of enchant from the Web

The anti-modernist tenor of Guénon’s philosophy drew several notable followers who made attempts during the 20th century to re-enchant the world by bringing about a restoration.

— joshua green, The Hive, "Inside the Secret, Strange Origins of Steve Bannon’s Nationalist Fantasia," 17 July 2017
Bond would go on to see his creation enchant children for more than half a century and become an icon immortalized in print, on screens and as countless stuffed toys before his death at age 91.

— jill lawless and danica kirka, chicagotribune.com, "Paddington bear creator Michael Bond dies at 91," 28 June 2017
A young woman sets off to find a dragon in Sarah Perry’s enchanting new novel.

— yvonne zipp, The Christian Science Monitor, "'The Essex Serpent' pits nature against faith in a fabulous summer read," 19 June 2017
Abridged and spiked with nods to other works by Shakespeare, his Dream will enchant everyone except the most inflexible purists, and will likely turn on the uninitiated to the charms of the Elizabethan playwright.

— sheri linden, The Hollywood Reporter, "‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’: Film Review | LAFF 2017," 18 June 2017
I was enchanted by that sorcery, by the black magic of turning hurt into glamour.

— john paul brammer, NBC News, "Commentary: Pulse, and the Beautiful, Sad, Joyful Tradition of Queer Grief," 12 June 2017
The artichokes are about to open and the purple of the first thistle is enchanting.

— debbie arrington, sacbee.com, "Sacramento gardens really are different this summer. Here’s how," 9 June 2017
The right-left makeup of his cabinet has also enchanted voters who see in French politics new possibilities.

— sara miller llana, The Christian Science Monitor, "Macron's strong start impresses the French. But will it launch his party?," 9 June 2017
A museum since 1964 and in danger of collapse by the end of the century, Fallingwater has been beautifully restored to enchant and inspire future generations.

— jonathan glancey, CNN, "Frank Lloyd Wright: What his 5 best buildings tell us about his life and work," 7 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'enchant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of enchant

Middle English, from Anglo-French enchanter, from Latin incantare, from in- + cantare to sing — more at chant

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of enchant

attract, allure, charm, captivate, fascinate, enchant mean to draw another by exerting a powerful influence. attract applies to any degree or kind of ability to exert influence over another. students attracted by the school's locale allure implies an enticing by what is fair, pleasing, or seductive. an alluring smile charm implies the power of casting a spell over the person or thing affected and so compelling a response charmed by their hospitality, but it may, like captivate, suggest no more than evoking delight or admiration. her performances captivated audiences fascinate suggests a magical influence and tends to stress the ineffectiveness of attempts to resist. a story that continues to fascinate children enchant is perhaps the strongest of these terms in stressing the appeal of the agent and the degree of delight evoked in the subject. hopelessly enchanted by her beauty

Other Occult Terms

augury, censor, invocation, lucidity, metempsychosis, mojo, numinous, preternatural, weird, wraith

ENCHANT Defined for English Language Learners

enchant

play

verb

Definition of enchant for English Language Learners

: to attract and hold the attention of (someone) by being interesting, pretty, etc.
: to put a magic spell on (someone or something)

ENCHANT Defined for Kids

enchant

play

verb en·chant \in-ˈchant\

Definition of enchant for Students

enchanted

;

enchanting

1 : to put under a spell by or as if by magic : bewitch … the Wicked Witch enchanted my axe … — L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz
2 : to please greatly : delight The story enchanted us.