hypnotize
verb
hyp·no·tize
ˈhip-nə-ˌtīz 
hypnotized; hypnotizing
1
: to induce hypnosis in
2
: to dazzle or overcome by or as if by suggestion
a voice that hypnotizes its hearers
drivers hypnotized by speed
Synonyms
Examples of hypnotize in a Sentence
The therapist hypnotized him and asked him questions about his traumatic experiences in the war.
He can hypnotize people with his stare.
Recent Examples on the Web
The song, which runs through disparate vibes and emotions, with pensive chants and chilling howls, has the ability to hypnotize listeners instantly, in an almost shamanic way.
—
Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 25 July 2023
In this controversial romantic comedy, Jack Black plays an arrogant bachelor who gets hypnotized into only seeing people’s inner beauty.
—Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 25 Aug. 2023
While Paltrow donned a bodysuit and prosthetics to portray lead character Rosemary — an overweight woman who captures the attentions of a man who's been hypnotized into seeing only a person's inner beauty — Snitzer, now 42, filmed full and close-up body shots in Paltrow's stead.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 23 Aug. 2023
Now the audience are being collectively hypnotized like high school students.
—John Bleasdale, Variety, 7 Aug. 2023
All some people want during the dog days of summer is to sit agog before a mile-high screen, hypnotized by pyrotechnic special effects, puerile jokes, and perhaps the warm comfort of an aging movie star.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 14 July 2023
These are all just a bunch of funny jokes about people who are too online, celebrities whose shallow fame exists only by way of the apps, and a contemporary American culture hypnotized by the blue light of screens.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 9 June 2023
The story was about the hypnotizing effect of the auctioneer and that every auction night nearly every seat of the 500 in the building was taken.
—Sam Boyer, cleveland, 11 Aug. 2023
The movement, brutal in terms of endurance by the dancers, yet lots of fun to watch, built to a hypnotizing finale that placed the entire company across the front of the stage to suggest that the performers would drop into the laps of the audience.
—Iris Fanger, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2023
See More
Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 25 July 2023
In this controversial romantic comedy, Jack Black plays an arrogant bachelor who gets hypnotized into only seeing people’s inner beauty.
—Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 25 Aug. 2023
While Paltrow donned a bodysuit and prosthetics to portray lead character Rosemary — an overweight woman who captures the attentions of a man who's been hypnotized into seeing only a person's inner beauty — Snitzer, now 42, filmed full and close-up body shots in Paltrow's stead.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 23 Aug. 2023
Now the audience are being collectively hypnotized like high school students.
—John Bleasdale, Variety, 7 Aug. 2023
All some people want during the dog days of summer is to sit agog before a mile-high screen, hypnotized by pyrotechnic special effects, puerile jokes, and perhaps the warm comfort of an aging movie star.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 14 July 2023
These are all just a bunch of funny jokes about people who are too online, celebrities whose shallow fame exists only by way of the apps, and a contemporary American culture hypnotized by the blue light of screens.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 9 June 2023
The story was about the hypnotizing effect of the auctioneer and that every auction night nearly every seat of the 500 in the building was taken.
—Sam Boyer, cleveland, 11 Aug. 2023
The movement, brutal in terms of endurance by the dancers, yet lots of fun to watch, built to a hypnotizing finale that placed the entire company across the front of the stage to suggest that the performers would drop into the laps of the audience.
—Iris Fanger, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hypnotize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1843, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near hypnotize
Cite this Entry
“Hypnotize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypnotize. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
hypnotize
verb
hyp·no·tize
ˈhip-nə-ˌtīz
hypnotized; hypnotizing
1
: to cause hypnosis in
2
: to deaden judgment or resistance by or as if by hypnotic suggestion
Medical Definition
hypnotize
transitive verb
hyp·no·tize
variants
also British hypnotise
hypnotized also British hypnotised; hypnotizing also British hypnotising
1
: to induce hypnosis in
2
: to influence by or as if by suggestion
a voice that hypnotizes its hearers
More from Merriam-Webster on hypnotize
Nglish: Translation of hypnotize for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of hypnotize for Arabic Speakers
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