spellbound

adjective

spell·​bound ˈspel-ˌbau̇nd 

: held by or as if by a spell

Synonyms of spellbound

• charmed
• enchanted
• magic
• magical

Examples of spellbound in a Sentence

The children were spellbound by the puppet show.

She's a storyteller that will hold you spellbound.

Recent Examples on the Web

Uncomfortable in her own skin, Kris becomes spellbound by the Nora Desmond-like Billy who speaks with a Southern drawl that Dolly Parton would admire and lives in the remote Pacific Northwest campground set where the first film was shot. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026

Chef Yannick Lohou, fresh from Barcelona, holds the dining room spellbound with pretty-as-a-picture dishes such as toro tartare with caviar. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026

The Final Painting fittingly has a contemplative tone, with slow, spellbound songs that seem both off-the-cuff and profoundly lived in. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 31 July 2026

The ecstatic scenes across the country after a Mexico win, most notably in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, the three host cities, paint the picture of a nation spellbound by its football team. — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for spellbound

• abound
• aground
• around
• astound
• background
• campground
• clothbound
• confound
• earthbound
• eastbound
• expound
• fairground

Kids Definition

spellbound

adjective

spell·​bound ˈspel-ˈbau̇nd 

: held by or as if by a spell