1
as in incantations
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 bouts
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 whiles
an indefinite but usually short period of time
come rest a spell
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in possesses
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 means
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
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Recent Examples of spells
Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Monitor the soil, particularly during warm spells, to keep the roots from drying out completely.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2025
The new study examined multiple measures of labor market disruption, drawing on Bureau of Labor Statistics data on job losses, spells of unemployment, and shifts in broader occupational composition.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Beckham's team up with Verizon is just one of the many ventures he's taken part in since hanging up his jersey in May 2013 after his 21-year career playing for Manchester United, Preston North End (on loan), Real Madrid, AC Milan (loan spells), LA Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
There were also tough spells during which the KC bats just couldn’t get anything going.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
Like most Final Fantasy titles, Tactics’ story is wholly disconnected from the rest of the franchise, but has many of the same elements, like magic spells called Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder, or the existence of the giant bipedal birds called Chocobos.
—Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
Abdel-Fattah is a veteran democracy campaigner who first served spells in detention before the 2011 revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak and gave hope to a generation of activists in Egypt and beyond.
—Reuters, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
The Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan could see frequent rain, drizzle, and early snow with warm spells later in the month.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Flacco represents an immediate upgrade at quarterback over Browning, and spells good news for fantasy football managers who have worried about the Bengals star wide receivers after a slow start to the season.
—Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
That spells production for this Miami offense, right?
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2025
Sam Houston is 0-4 (bad), but the program spells Bearkats with a k (good).
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
That spells disaster, says Douglas Webber, emeritus professor of political science at the international business school lNSEAD, south of Paris.
—Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 9 Sep. 2025
And experts tell Fortune that spells a lot of trouble for innovation and long-term business stability.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Its songs are stacked with nods to John the Conqueror root (a plant that’s thought to enhance luck), and spells to bring back a lover.
—Danielle Amir Jackson, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
When a mother tree is felled, the survival rate of many of its seedlings may be drastically reduced, a process not unlike the reciprocal feedback loop of Yggdrasill, whose deterioration in response to discord in the nine realms spells cosmic collapse.
—Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
Baker can now look back on a challenging year that followed his retirement as a professional footballer, after a career involving spells at Coventry City, MK Dons and Portsmouth, through a different lens.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Monitor the soil, particularly during warm spells, to keep the roots from drying out completely.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2025
The new study examined multiple measures of labor market disruption, drawing on Bureau of Labor Statistics data on job losses, spells of unemployment, and shifts in broader occupational composition.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Beckham's team up with Verizon is just one of the many ventures he's taken part in since hanging up his jersey in May 2013 after his 21-year career playing for Manchester United, Preston North End (on loan), Real Madrid, AC Milan (loan spells), LA Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
There were also tough spells during which the KC bats just couldn’t get anything going.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
Like most Final Fantasy titles, Tactics’ story is wholly disconnected from the rest of the franchise, but has many of the same elements, like magic spells called Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder, or the existence of the giant bipedal birds called Chocobos.
—Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
Abdel-Fattah is a veteran democracy campaigner who first served spells in detention before the 2011 revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak and gave hope to a generation of activists in Egypt and beyond.
—Reuters, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
The Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan could see frequent rain, drizzle, and early snow with warm spells later in the month.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
A lot of this occurs off-page, in contrast to the movie, which spells things out incredibly plainly.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Flacco represents an immediate upgrade at quarterback over Browning, and spells good news for fantasy football managers who have worried about the Bengals star wide receivers after a slow start to the season.
—Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
That spells production for this Miami offense, right?
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2025
Sam Houston is 0-4 (bad), but the program spells Bearkats with a k (good).
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
That spells disaster, says Douglas Webber, emeritus professor of political science at the international business school lNSEAD, south of Paris.
—Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 9 Sep. 2025
And experts tell Fortune that spells a lot of trouble for innovation and long-term business stability.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Its songs are stacked with nods to John the Conqueror root (a plant that’s thought to enhance luck), and spells to bring back a lover.
—Danielle Amir Jackson, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
When a mother tree is felled, the survival rate of many of its seedlings may be drastically reduced, a process not unlike the reciprocal feedback loop of Yggdrasill, whose deterioration in response to discord in the nine realms spells cosmic collapse.
—Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spells
Noun
-
There’s a little bit of mystery with the spirits, incantations and rituals.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The boxer was 40-9 during his career and had epic bouts with Oscar De La Hoya, Mickey Ward and Floyd Mayweather Jr.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 Oct. 2025
-
The film highlights mundane details of camaraderie behind the scenes of every fight, emphasizing the bonds between the fighters, who would often root for one another after their bouts were over.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This star is a red giant known as SDSS J0715-7334, and has just one-20,000th the abundance of heavy elements that our Sun possesses.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Importantly, Venezuela possesses a capable democratic opposition — led by María Corina Machado and president-elect Edmundo González — that is prepared to govern responsibly.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Which means the vagaries of late October are pretty familiar for this franchise and the bulk of these players.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
-
That means busting into the paint and kicking out from there.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Kabul wants to hedge against its deteriorating relationship with its former patron Islamabad, which accuses the Taliban of harboring a separate but allied group that has carried out deadly attacks inside Pakistan.—
Happymon Jacob,
Time,
16 Oct. 2025
-
But Raducanu’s identity has been harder to maintain — or even define — against the best and most devastating attacks on the WTA Tour.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The dudes-rock montage that followed the execution sketch had some genuinely funny bits.—
T. M. Brown,
New Yorker,
15 Oct. 2025
-
As is customary, Danielle got the showier instrumental bits of the night, going from playing some serious fuzz guitar to the mid-show segment that has her kicking it on drums.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Liam Perino curses in front of his parents.—
Matthew Shen Goodman,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In 2021, Jonah earned his F&I certification, which signifies an expertise in vehicle financing as well as automotive insurance and legal compliance.—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
15 Oct. 2025
-
The law is a significant milestone in the regulation of AI in policing, but its passage also signifies that AI is going to become a major part of the criminal justice system.—
Andrew Guthrie Ferguson,
The Conversation,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spells.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spells. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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