in thrall
idiom
literary
: in a state of being controlled or strongly influenced by someone or something
He was completely in thrall to her.
He was completely in her thrall.
Examples of in thrall in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1953, the queen’s coronation unfolded in a nation in thrall to a newfangled miracle called television.
—
Alan Cowell, New York Times, 2 May 2023
This new cohort was no longer in thrall to the old regimes’ social structures.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Utility is the great idol of the age, to which all powers are in thrall and all talent must pay homage.
—Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024
The buildings themselves, exuding an air of post-apocalyptic ruin, continue to hold people in thrall, even serving as the setting for a 2014 Dave Eggers novel, now in movie development.
—Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
And the mink Gosling wears as Ken came from Gosling and Gerwig’s mutual love for ’80s Sylvester Stallone, on top of the world and in thrall to his ego.
—Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 7 Feb. 2024
But what about Netanyahu, a man in thrall to the hard right and not exactly known for rhetorical restraint?
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2024
And beyond the need for better batteries, there are even harder problems still, such as the societal challenge of changing attitudes and behaviors that have held the world in thrall to fossil fuels for so long.
—Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2023
Audiences are gradually returning to the cinemas after a few years of being in thrall to streaming platforms.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
Alan Cowell, New York Times, 2 May 2023
This new cohort was no longer in thrall to the old regimes’ social structures.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Utility is the great idol of the age, to which all powers are in thrall and all talent must pay homage.
—Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024
The buildings themselves, exuding an air of post-apocalyptic ruin, continue to hold people in thrall, even serving as the setting for a 2014 Dave Eggers novel, now in movie development.
—Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
And the mink Gosling wears as Ken came from Gosling and Gerwig’s mutual love for ’80s Sylvester Stallone, on top of the world and in thrall to his ego.
—Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 7 Feb. 2024
But what about Netanyahu, a man in thrall to the hard right and not exactly known for rhetorical restraint?
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2024
And beyond the need for better batteries, there are even harder problems still, such as the societal challenge of changing attitudes and behaviors that have held the world in thrall to fossil fuels for so long.
—Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2023
Audiences are gradually returning to the cinemas after a few years of being in thrall to streaming platforms.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in thrall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“In thrall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20thrall. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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