witchcraft

noun

witch·​craft ˈwich-ˌkraft 

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 witchcraft …

—Lesley 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

Synonyms of witchcraft

• sorcery
• magic

Examples of witchcraft in a Sentence

taught all of her daughters witchcraft

Recent Examples on the Web

Johnson did, reportedly, resort to witchcraft—a protection spell over the restaurant, and a curse on Aghajanian. —Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026

Lang plays the antagonist, a bitter Alpine waiter whose family recipe for Grappa involves alchemy and witchcraft. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026

These scholars have argued that all those odd things—levitation, bilocation, miracles of all kinds, witchcraft—really did happen. —Chandler Fritz, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2026

She was regarded as the female Christ by her followers but accused of witchcraft by outsiders. —Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for witchcraft

• abaft
• aircraft
• camshaft
• crankshaft
• downdraft
• engraft
• priestcraft
• redraft
• schoolcraft
• spacecraft
• stagecraft
• statecraft

Kids Definition

witchcraft

noun

witch·​craft -ˌkraft 

: the use of sorcery or magic