witchcraft

noun

witch·​craft ˈwich-ˌkraft How to pronounce witchcraft (audio)
1
a
: the use of sorcery or magic
b
: communication with the devil or with a familiar
2
: an irresistible influence or fascination
3
a
: rituals and practices that incorporate belief in magic and that are associated especially with neo-pagan traditions and religions (such as Wicca)
Practitioners of Wicca … use the tools … such as the broom (a purifying symbol), the wand, candles, crystals and the knife …. They refer to their practices as witchcraftLesley Wright
b
or less commonly Witchcraft : a tradition or religion that involves the practice of witchcraft
Feminist witchcraft sees women's oppression and environmental abuse, which they argue are intimately linked, as firmly rooted in patriarchal religions.Wendy Griffin
Wicca, which emerged in the 1940s in England, is the original form of modern Pagan Witchcraft.Meg Yardley

Examples of witchcraft in a Sentence

taught all of her daughters witchcraft
Recent Examples on the Web Watch on Amazon Prime Video The Craft (1996) The Craft (1996) - Official Trailer (HD) Watch on When new girl Sarah shows up at their high school, a trio of outcasts befriend her to complete their circle of witchcraft. Claudia Guthrie, ELLE, 28 Aug. 2023 Countries with weak governance and strong conformism are more prone to belief in witchcraft, but such beliefs cannot be predicted by exposure to past misfortunes. Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Feb. 2023 It’s made with the juices derived from cooking birria, the trad-Mexican marinated beef stew, which is then spiked with chiles, onions, cilantro, spicy-sweet annatto paste and maybe some witchcraft. Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 17 July 2023 Produced by Cottonwood Media, with ZDF, ZDF Studios and the Opéra national de Paris, the 13 new episodes of the ballet/witchcraft series will go into production in August. John Hopewell, Variety, 31 May 2023 Indeed, even in the early, less commercial days of witchcraft there were always objects that were bought at a shop, such as candles, incense, fabric to make ritual robes or covers for the altars. Helen A. Berger, The Conversation, 26 July 2023 In terms of traditional witchcraft practices, however, candle magick is when a candle becomes your primary tool to work a spell. Aliza Pelto, Women's Health, 14 Apr. 2023 With his soon-to-be wife and unborn child in tow, Koffi’s arrival sets in motion a sprawling, nightmarish and psychedelic fairy tale about ancestry, belief, wrestling, witchcraft and sorcery in Africa today. Manori Ravindran, Variety, 27 June 2023 But their friendship gets Claire into trouble, and eventually they're both arrested for witchcraft. Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, 23 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'witchcraft.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of witchcraft was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near witchcraft

Cite this Entry

“Witchcraft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witchcraft. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

witchcraft

noun
witch·​craft -ˌkraft How to pronounce witchcraft (audio)
: the use of sorcery or magic

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