1
as in curse
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power
the witch cast a spell that turned the prince into a toad
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in bout
a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder
a dizzy spell that caused me to fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in while
an indefinite but usually short period of time
come rest a spell
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to possess
to cast a spell on
it was as if he had spelled the public into believing his ridiculous claims
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to mean
to communicate or convey (as an idea) to the mind
that summertime combination of hot temperatures and equally hot tempers can spell trouble
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of spell
Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan won six NBA championships and five MVP awards during his storied spell with the Chicago Bulls.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
Steve Hruby, Cincinnati Enquirer, 3 Nov. 2025
The video shows Schaaf-Olson struggling to spell her own name as the officer attempts to identify her.
—Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spell
Noun
The cold spell will last until next week, Davis said, with temperatures returning near normal next Wednesday and then trending above average.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan won six NBA championships and five MVP awards during his storied spell with the Chicago Bulls.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
Consider those factors when dividing assets and use your will or trust to spell it out clearly, especially with sentimental items.
—Steve Hruby, Cincinnati Enquirer, 3 Nov. 2025
The video shows Schaaf-Olson struggling to spell her own name as the officer attempts to identify her.
—Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spell
Noun
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Her goal helped the club secure its first berth in the NWSL playoffs, snapping a ninth-place curse that had haunted the team since its debut in 2021.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
So begins a rollicking tale of superstition, a family curse and second chances.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
On the Amazon Prime Video postgame recap of the Lakers-Grizzlies clash, former six-time All-Star power forward Blake Griffin took umbrage with Morant's occasional mid-game bouts with apathy.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Kansas Jayhawks freshman point guard Darryn Peterson, who played just five minutes in the second half of KU’s Monday season opener against Green Bay because of a recurring bout with cramps, practiced Tuesday night and again Wednesday.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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With Jennings and Kittle back in the lineup for this game, the Niners should be able to move the ball well enough to keep this one close for a while.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
People bristle at the word procedural, because for a while that had negative connotations to it.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The reactor also possesses a strong negative temperature coefficient, meaning the nuclear reaction naturally slows as temperatures rise, preventing a runaway event.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
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The current policy, last revised in 2010, allows students to possess electronic devices during the school day but prohibits their use unless approved for educational purposes.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Barr’s unconventional campaign, meant to make an argument against gerrymandering producing deeply partisan districts, made national headlines.—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Nov. 2025
-
That means thousands of flights canceled, or in other words, 200,000 fewer seats and butts in the air per day.—
The Kim Komando Show,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
There’s a little bit of mystery with the spirits, incantations and rituals.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Aug. 2025
-
How to turn a human into a statistic, an alien, an enemy combatant–transformations worked not through incantation, but through the movement of paper in government offices.—
Celia Bell
July 22,
Literary Hub,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
All three nuclear powers have established their own nuclear triad, consisting of ICBMs, submarines armed with ballistic missiles and nuclear-capable aircraft, which ensure their forces can survive a first strike and retaliate, thereby deterring a nuclear attack.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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But in the final weeks of the race, both campaigns traded personal attacks.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The big story Sipping coffee in a café surrounded by Singapore’s skyline, Anshuman Magazine of real estate services firm CBRE told me that global capability centers (GCCs) accounted for 38% of office space demand in India in the third quarter.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
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Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more!—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spell. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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