trance

1 of 2

noun

ˈtran(t)s 

1

: stupor, daze

2

: a sleeplike state (as of deep hypnosis) usually characterized by partly suspended animation with diminished or absent sensory and motor activity

3

: a state of profound abstraction or absorption

trancelike

ˈtran(t)s-ˌlīk 

adjective

trance

2 of 2

verb

tranced; trancing

transitive verb

: entrance, enrapture

Synonyms

Noun

• daydreaming
• reverie
• revery
• study
• woolgathering

Example Sentences

Noun

The spiritual healer fell into a trance.

He was staring out the window in a trance.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Only the night before, Musk was spotted in L.A. where the 51-year-old father-of-eight had attended a trance music event hosted by Bosnian-German DJ Solomun in Exposition Park. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 May 2023

At his office, Fason places Candy into a trance and mentally sends her back to the day of the killing. —Tommy Cummings, Dallas News, 15 May 2023

In a hypnotherapy session, Zeigenbein sent me into a trance to try to understand what these surfacing feelings were and rid myself of what wasn’t serving me (procrastination, anxiety, imposter syndrome). —Garrett Munce, Town & Country, 4 May 2023

Meditation guru Genesis Fry (Sherman) relaxes Jost, placing him in a trance and guiding him through his actions following the show. —Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2023

The only true misstep comes in the back half of the season, which features a big stylistic swing that not only fails, but manages to break the morbid trance the show spends so much time earning. —Joshua Alston, Variety, 15 Mar. 2023

In sumptuous black-and-white chiaroscuro, Beshir follows the drug on its typical journey, from the farmers cultivating and harvesting it, to the middlemen packaging and selling it at clamoring nighttime markets, to the users medicating themselves into a hallucinatory trance. —Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2021

As a special guest star, Mikhail Baryshnikov makes a wordless cameo as the brooding Leopold, seen walking, as if in a digital trance, surrounded by candles. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2023

Critics say this pair is ultra-durable and capable of a wide range of frequencies, plus its deep bass response is excellent for those mixing trance, trap, and techno. —Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 24 Jan. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English traunce, from Anglo-French transe death, coma, rapture, from transir to depart, die, from Latin transire to cross, pass by — more at transient

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1598, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

trance

noun

ˈtran(t)s

1

: stupor sense 1

2

: a sleeplike state (as of deep hypnosis)

3

: a state of being so deeply absorbed in something as to be unaware of one's surroundings

trancelike

-ˌlīk

adjective

Medical Definition

trance

noun

ˈtran(t)s 

1

: a sleeplike altered state of consciousness (as of deep hypnosis) usually characterized by partly suspended animation with diminished or absent sensory and motor activity and subsequent lack of recall

2

: a state of profound abstraction or absorption

trancelike

-ˌlīk 

adjective

or trance-like

a trancelike state