mesmerize

verb

mes·​mer·​ize ˈmez-mə-ˌrīz 

also ˈmes-

mesmerized; mesmerizing

transitive verb

1

: to subject to mesmerism

also : hypnotize

2

: spellbind

… I found myself mesmerized by the grandiosity of it all.

—Arnold Plotnick

The crowd was mesmerized by the acrobats.

mesmerizer noun

Did you know?

Experts can’t agree on whether Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) was a quack or a genius, but all concede that the Swabian physician's name is the source of the word mesmerize. In his day, Mesmer was the toast of Paris, where he enjoyed the support of notables including Queen Marie Antoinette. He treated patients with therapeutic procedures (called, appropriately enough, mesmerism) involving what he claimed was a mysterious force termed animal magnetism. (Many believe that mesmerism was what we now call hypnotism). Accordingly, the verb mesmerize was first used to mean "to subject to mesmerism" before broadening to be synonymous with hypnotize, and later to mean "to amaze or captivate."

Synonyms of mesmerize

• fascinate
• enchant

Examples of mesmerize in a Sentence

discovered that the children were mesmerized by a television show

Recent Examples on the Web

The free press was mesmerized by his unapologetic authority. —Nina Khrushcheva, Time, 8 Nov. 2025

Watson became mesmerized with the three-dimensional structures of molecules from his bacterial virus research at the university. —Christina Zdanowicz, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025

Freedom songs rang out alongside work songs, a player on homemade pan pipes mesmerized listeners alongside the generation’s greatest future singer-songwriters. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025

Be mesmerized by Lon Chaney’s iconic performance and makeup that introduced audiences to gothic spectacle on screen. —Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

mesmer(ism) + -ize

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mesmerize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

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Kids Definition

mesmerize

verb

mes·​mer·​ize ˈmez-mə-ˌrīz 

also

ˈmes- 

mesmerized; mesmerizing

1

: hypnotize

2

: fascinate sense 1, spellbind

Medical Definition

mesmerize

transitive verb

mes·​mer·​ize

variants or British mesmerise

-mə-ˌrīz 

mesmerized or British mesmerised; mesmerizing or British mesmerising

: to subject to mesmerism

also : hypnotize

mesmerization noun

or British mesmerisation

ˌmez-mə-ri-ˈzā-shən