abracadabra

noun

ˌa-brə-kə-ˈda-brə How to pronounce abracadabra (audio)
Definition of abracadabranext
1
as in spell
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power originally, an abracadabra was a cryptogram of the word "abracadabra" that was repeated in diminishing form until it disappeared entirely—supposedly just like the targeted evil or misfortune

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in nonsense
unintelligible or meaningless talk after some abracadabra the spiritualist announced that we had made contact with "the other side"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abracadabra What could be more fun than some abracadabra and cathartic wealth redistribution? — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025 There is nothing to choose between them, but there was a consistency, clinical edge and an abracadabra touch that made this performance the best Alcaraz has played in a major final, barring that 2024 demolition of Novak Djokovic on Centre Court. — Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025 That’s seven steps to make abracadabra, whose molecular assembly number is thus seven. — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2023 And there’s an abracadabra quality of pulling a bed out nowhere. — Christine Lennon, Sunset Magazine, 11 Feb. 2022 But Trump’s Hollywood gambits well surpass that obvious bit of abracadabra. — Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 His utilization of terms like irreducible complexity is about as substantive as chanting abracadabra, but probably just as effective in convincing fellow travelers already sympathetic to his position as shamans were in the days of yore. — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abracadabra
  1. spell
  2. nonsense
  3. incantation
  4. babble
  5. prattle
  6. mumbo jumbo
  7. jabber
  8. gibberish
Noun
  • England’s search for a new captain in the wake of the international retirement of Ben Stokes looks certain to end with what has appeared their only real choice — a second spell in charge for Root.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • One way midfielder Zorhan Bassong thinks Sporting can avoid those long spells of getting lost in the game is through repetition of situations during training — almost for the sake of repetition.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
Definition of spell
Noun
  • In any organization, roughly 20% are adopters who are bought in and know how to implement the change; about 70% believe in it but have no idea how to execute it; and 10% are detractors who think the whole thing is nonsense.
    — Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • Even after watching replays, the ref stuck with his original call that Mbappe had initiated the contact, which was palpable nonsense.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of nonsense
Noun
  • Halloween Horror Nights fans will encounter demonic forces when Book of the Dead incantations are read aloud inside the newest Evil Dead haunted house coming to Universal Studios Hollywood.
    — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 21 July 2026
  • Circe is able, by means of drugs and incantations, to change humans into wolves, lions, and other animals.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 July 2026
Definition of incantation
Noun
  • Companies modelled after Mary Kay that have reprised empowerment babble for their founders’ gain are mentioned but receive scarce judgment.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 15 July 2026
  • The film almost completely drops any and all scientific babble from the book in favor of character development, action sequences, and emotional gut punches.
    — Matthew Razak, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Definition of babble
Noun
  • The Korean Football Association was furious, responding to this juvenile, but ultimately harmless, prattle by boycotting the Korean press.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 24 June 2026
  • Some of the prattle can feel like treading water, a delaying tactic until the inevitable confrontation scene.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of prattle
Noun
  • Their supporters with zero life experience are devouring their pie-in-the-sky mumbo jumbo.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026
  • Also, nowhere in that long letter of legal mumbo jumbo is there any mention of the 72% of the people who voted in favor of auditing the Legislature.
    — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 12 Feb. 2026
Definition of mumbo jumbo
Noun
  • Some children clustered there to jabber and run madly about, while others just wanted attention and knew how to get it.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
  • And given that these are not professional actors, or even (in most cases) people who aspire to be, LaBeouf’s words to them, full of deadly serious jabber about empathy and ego, are pumped up with an intensity that feels overdone and inappropriate.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 May 2025
Definition of jabber
Noun
  • Once talkies came into play, though, the Minions — who can only communicate with each other in nonsensical gibberish — quickly find themselves out of work.
    — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • With its collaborations now stretching to Japan, via Nintendo, a globalization defines Illumination — fitting given the international word salad gibberish of the Minions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 June 2026
Definition of gibberish

Browse Nearby Words

aboveground
abracadabra
abracadabras
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Cite this Entry

“Abracadabra.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abracadabra. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of abracadabra for Spanish Speakers

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