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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spell
Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
The alteration was discovered in a copy of the Book of the Dead (a tome filled with spells meant to aid the dead in their passage to the afterlife) that is believed to have been commissioned for a royal archive supervisor named Rambose.
—News Desk, Artforum, 9 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
The long-term prospects of the war don’t spell improvement for the hotbed, with a report from Reuters indicating drone attacks could disrupt the Strait of Hormuz for months.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spell
Noun
After loan spells at Besiktas and Union Berlin, Newcastle United signed him as a backup on a free transfer.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
The alteration was discovered in a copy of the Book of the Dead (a tome filled with spells meant to aid the dead in their passage to the afterlife) that is believed to have been commissioned for a royal archive supervisor named Rambose.
—News Desk, Artforum, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
Miller appeared briefly in court in Colorado for the first time Friday but didn’t speak expect to say and spell his name.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
The long-term prospects of the war don’t spell improvement for the hotbed, with a report from Reuters indicating drone attacks could disrupt the Strait of Hormuz for months.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spell
Noun
-
The rise of the gig economy and remote work has finally broken the cubicle curse, giving us the freedom to answer emails from a mountain cabin or run a startup from a beachside bistro.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Pay multiple people from the crafts site Etsy to perform tarot readings, lift any existing curses and otherwise engage in witchcraft.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Mollaei, the defending champion, said he was ordered to lose a bout to avoid a potential gold medal match against an Israeli opponent.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium bout is Fury’s first in the UK since 2022.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But all those concept records were sort of flying about then, and for a while afterwards, so we were just being excited by the zeitgeist then.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The Dolphins had even more connections with Willis upon signing defensive coordinator Sean Duggan and passing game coordinator Ryan Downard, both of whom saw Willis up close and personal while in Green Bay.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Trump has blamed the strike on Iran and said that the country possesses and uses Tomahawk missiles.—
Ramon Padilla,
USA Today,
11 Mar. 2026
-
In August, detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Commercial Crimes Division arrested Harker, who allegedly possessed cocaine, heroin and financial documents belonging to two women.—
Matthew Ormseth,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The purchase for an undisclosed sum is meant to boost Anduril’s capabilities in space domain awareness, battle management and fire control.—
Iris Kwok,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The judge dismissed the charges with prejudice, meaning that the case cannot be retried.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Justin, the believer, is instantly alarmed by how these eerie tapes escalate from cute banter to ghostly crying babies and backward incantations.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
That six-word sentence, equal parts civic pride and audacity, has become the incantation at the center of Orlando’s sports history.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
According to Fairbanks, who moved to South Africa from the United States more than fifteen years ago, attacks on farms appear to be mostly economically motivated crimes.—
Boyce Upholt,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The attack illustrated the care news outlets must take in reporting during wartime, and the responsibilities of American journalists to report the perspective of countries its government views as enemies.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The space agency quickly determined that the 2022 strike trimmed the smaller asteroid’s orbit around its bigger companion.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spell. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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