cantrip

noun

Definition of cantripnext
chiefly Scottish
as in incantation

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cantrip
  1. incantation
  2. invocation
  3. spell
  4. curse
  5. conjuration
  6. jinx
  7. enchantment
  8. sorcery
Noun
  • The Hoodoo tradition presumes a belief in a supernatural or spirit world that can be called upon for assistance, often through charms and incantations.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • As passengers chanted the incantation together, white light flashed through the carriage, and music swelled from the speakers.
    — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Definition of incantation
Noun
  • The discovery process may very likely run up against White House invocation of executive privilege, but the network suggests that there is already proof out in the open.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
  • His recent invocation of the Fifth Amendment during congressional testimony is linked to avoiding revelations about suppressing the lab leak theory.
    — Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of invocation
Noun
  • Michael Carrick is aiming to build on the positive early signs from his interim spell, while the club has made some useful additions.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • For a spell in the last few years, he became known for cartoonishly long nail extensions, lacquered and bejeweled.
    — Abigail Sylvor Greenberg, Vanity Fair, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of spell
Noun
  • She and Kidman reprise their roles as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, witches in Massachusetts who must once more confront a family curse that causes the deaths of men whom women in their family fall in love with.
    — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Along with the town’s hard-drinking fisherman Wyck (Root), and the town hall staff of Patricia (O’Flynn), Rosemary (Dickey) and Dale (Hiller), Loftis tries to ignore a centuries-old island curse while attracting tourists to the island.
    — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of curse
Noun
  • Most of the recipients dismissed the composer as a crank, but a few were spellbound by his transcendentalist conjurations, and a cult began to grow.
    — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Theater is a more symbolic space, a conjuration of lights and plywood, which offered Comer a kind of freedom.
    — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2023
Definition of conjuration
Noun
  • The ‘seven-year jinx’ — the K-pop industry’s shorthand for the contract expiration point at which groups typically fracture — did not claim TWICE on schedule, but in a way, has just claimed its first member now.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Samba Nation have an opportunity to break that jinx today.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 5 July 2026
Definition of jinx
Noun
  • But that enchantment began long before the beach clubs and celebrity sightings.
    — Lanie Goodman, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • All of them are concerned with legacy, particularly among fathers and daughters (Shakespeare had two and lost his only son), and all of them touch a realm beyond the mundane — a place of gods and dreams, oracles and enchantment.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of enchantment
Noun
  • His brother-in-law had been accused of sorcery, and his home had been set on fire.
    — Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • With ancient Greek tale The Odyssey still slashing its way to peak box office, the sword and sorcery age remains a potent genre for Hollywood.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of sorcery
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.

Browse Nearby Words

cantors
cantrip
cantrips
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cantrip.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cantrip. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of devolve

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All