trances

plural of trance
as in reveries
the state of being lost in thought lulled by the sound of the train, she stared out the window in a trance, oblivious to the fact that the conductor was taking tickets

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trances
Noun
  • Whether set in Jewish eastern Europe or New York’s Lower East Side, Shtok’s range is on full display, from gossipy melodramas and elegiac reveries to coming of age portraits of shtetl adolescents and immigrant hustlers.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Burnett was content to mine references from her own Depression-era youth; her famous maid character, the Charwoman, who became something of a show mascot, harked back to Chaplin’s Little Tramp, wearing a rumpled outfit and performing silent reveries.
    Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • And amidst the momentum of reverie, there’s the line ‘Blink at the light and hope to survive,’ because daydreams in a fascist state can be scary too.
    Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 June 2026
  • One-touch passing, feinting and ripping hard shots into a tattered net, each is super-charged by vivid daydreams of glory on the international stage.
    Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2026
Noun
  • While state studies have criticized the state’s education governance model, voters have rejected at least four attempts dating back to 1928 to reform the position.
    Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 30 June 2026
  • Some studies have shown that estrogen can help protect the heart, but the FDA hasn’t authorized it for this use.
    Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 30 June 2026
Noun
  • The man cannot help himself, visions be damned.
    Brian Grubb, Vulture, 29 June 2026
  • The future north campus remains a contest of differing visions.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
Noun
  • In Kurkov’s hands, his efforts offer both serious meditations and page-turning diversion.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
  • Science journalist Sabrina Imbler combines memoir and reportage in this insightful and far-reaching essay collection, using 10 ocean animals as a jumping-off point for personal meditations on health, community and survival.
    Tessa Yang, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
Noun
  • Selzer’s contemplations bring together literature, history, philosophy, medicine, and ruminations.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
  • Internal memos between the justices in 2016 published by The New York Times have created a firestorm around an institution that takes extraordinary measures to keep its contemplations confidential.
    Ella Lee, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • As the nation turns 250 years old, USA TODAY decided to create a time capsule, not of items but of dreams Americans hold for the country’s future.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.
    Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 29 June 2026
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.

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“Trances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trances. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.

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