How to Use captivate in a Sentence

captivate

verb
  • The play has been captivating audiences for years.
  • The sights, the sounds, and even the smells were captivating.
    Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Sep. 2018
  • And the thrill is part of what captivates Vic about drag.
    Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 4 July 2023
  • At the end of his life, Evans could still captivate a room.
    Chris Yogerst, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 July 2024
  • In the last few months, things that used to captivate her no longer did.
    Dana Spiotta, Vogue, 20 Apr. 2021
  • Sometimes there is a face in the crowd that captivates you.
    Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE.com, 29 Oct. 2019
  • The case captivated the city and stayed on the front page of newspapers for over a month.
    Nicole Clausing, Sunset Magazine, 17 Jan. 2020
  • As the tape played, the courtroom was captivated and somber.
    Joshua Sharpe, ajc, 12 July 2018
  • The team decked out the living room in captivating jewel tones and installed built-ins to make the most of the small space.
    Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 5 Feb. 2025
  • The duo captivated the crowd while sitting side-by-side on stools on the venue's small stage.
    Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 30 Sep. 2023
  • While the designs captivate, the ticket funds will be hard at work.
    Dallas News, 26 Sep. 2021
  • Many of those close to her point to her past, as well as the firestorm of right-wing media that appeared to captivate her.
    John Caniglia, cleveland, 11 Apr. 2021
  • And just the ability that these guys and the girls, the female bass player, have to captivate and their songs are just...
    James Brown, USA TODAY, 25 Dec. 2022
  • The rescue has captivated the world since the group of 12 boys and their coach disappeared.
    Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY, 10 July 2018
  • In more recent years, a string of new faces has charmed and captivated us once again.
    Catherine Piercy, Vogue, 4 July 2018
  • The operation to save the boys and their coach captivated the world.
    Hannah Beech, The Seattle Times, 10 July 2018
  • Northern views of the open sky captivate from within the space, alongside views of the urban cityscape.
    Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2024
  • His task is to captivate the audience for the entire evening.
    Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2021
  • Set the tone by making your first minutes stand out and captivate.
    William Arruda, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2022
  • The Weeknd would go on to captivate by playing nearly 40 songs.
    Candace McDuffie, VIBE.com, 6 June 2025
  • Bradley’s final-round surge, though futile in the end, captivated the crowd in Cromwell.
    Alex Putterman, courant.com, 24 June 2019
  • Stay at a luxe retreat perched high above the captivating cliffs at Cliff House.
    Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 15 June 2025
  • But one food item stood above the rest and captivated the crowd Saturday, June 7.
    Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 8 June 2025
  • The story captivated Serbs, and not just because of the gory images.
    Robert F. Worth, New York Times, 3 May 2023
  • God wears himself out through the infinite thickness of time and space in order to reach the soul and to captivate it.
    Christian Wiman, Harper's magazine, 20 Jan. 2020
  • Like the stone, Peridot is sleek and captivating with its modern design, and nods to Vietnam, the place where the gem is mined.
    Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024
  • The Juan Soto sweepstakes have captivated the baseball world for the last few weeks.
    Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
  • On Sunday, Qatar and Ecuador will kick off the monthlong tournament that is sure to captivate fans across the world.
    Katie McInerney, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Nov. 2022
  • The case captivated Australia, with several podcasts chronicling the two-month trial and reporters descending on the small town of Morwell, where proceedings were held.
    Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 7 July 2025
  • Australian South Sea Pearls: Distinctively known for their captivating white to silver lustre.
    Felicity Carter, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025

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

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