in thrall
idiom
literary
: in a state of being controlled or strongly influenced by someone or something
He was completely in thrall to her.
He was completely in her thrall.
Examples of in thrall in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For most of the album, Swift seesaws between songs about being in thrall to never-before-experienced passion and personal compatibility with a guy from the wrong side of the tracks.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
His mind worked in peculiar ways, and his prose seemed always in thrall to stylistic principles that did not exist for anyone else.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
Faye and Anna were in thrall to the Kingman, a faceless monster of the woods in a black cloak and light-colored crown.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2024
In 1953, the queen’s coronation unfolded in a nation in thrall to a newfangled miracle called television.
—Alan Cowell, New York Times, 2 May 2023
This new cohort was no longer in thrall to the old regimes’ social structures.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Utility is the great idol of the age, to which all powers are in thrall and all talent must pay homage.
—Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024
The buildings themselves, exuding an air of post-apocalyptic ruin, continue to hold people in thrall, even serving as the setting for a 2014 Dave Eggers novel, now in movie development.
—Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
And the mink Gosling wears as Ken came from Gosling and Gerwig’s mutual love for ’80s Sylvester Stallone, on top of the world and in thrall to his ego.
—Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 7 Feb. 2024
Chris Willman, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
His mind worked in peculiar ways, and his prose seemed always in thrall to stylistic principles that did not exist for anyone else.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
Faye and Anna were in thrall to the Kingman, a faceless monster of the woods in a black cloak and light-colored crown.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2024
In 1953, the queen’s coronation unfolded in a nation in thrall to a newfangled miracle called television.
—Alan Cowell, New York Times, 2 May 2023
This new cohort was no longer in thrall to the old regimes’ social structures.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Utility is the great idol of the age, to which all powers are in thrall and all talent must pay homage.
—Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024
The buildings themselves, exuding an air of post-apocalyptic ruin, continue to hold people in thrall, even serving as the setting for a 2014 Dave Eggers novel, now in movie development.
—Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
And the mink Gosling wears as Ken came from Gosling and Gerwig’s mutual love for ’80s Sylvester Stallone, on top of the world and in thrall to his ego.
—Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 7 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in thrall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“In thrall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20thrall. Accessed 4 May. 2024.
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