illusionist

noun

il·​lu·​sion·​ist i-ˈlü-zh(ə-)nist 

: a person who produces illusory effects: such as

a

: a sleight-of-hand performer or a magician

b

: one (such as an artist) whose work is marked by illusionism

illusionistic

i-ˌlü-zhə-ˈni-stik 

adjective

illusionistically

i-ˌlü-zhə-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• magician

Examples of illusionist in a Sentence

tried to figure out how the illusionist made his assistant disappear from the stage

Recent Examples on the Web

And to be fair to them, the man who first popularized the record was the illusionist David Blaine, who held his breath for 17 minutes and 4 seconds on a 2008 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. —Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025

More so than Miloš Forman’s 1981 film adaptation, the musical honors Doctorow’s splendid conceit of placing real-life historical figures – the anarchist Emma Goldman, the illusionist Harry Houdini, the scandalous vaudeville star Evelyn Nesbit – into the fictional world of Ragtime. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025

Since its debut in 2006, the NBC reality competition series has introduced the world to a variety of jaw-dropping acts — from young singers and gifted illusionists to charismatic puppeteers and dancing dogs. —Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025

The mind reader Frances Usher and her illusionist husband, Harry, lived there; Will Rogers, a prolific entertainer, liked to ride over from his ranch in the neighboring canyon. —Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

illusionist

noun

il·​lu·​sion·​ist i-ˈlü-zhə-nist 

: a person who produces illusions

especially : a performer of sleight of hand or a magician