MESMERISE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does mesmerise mean? 

• MESMERISE (verb)
  The verb MESMERISE has 2 senses:

1. attract strongly, as if with a magnet

2. induce hypnosis in

  Familiarity information: MESMERISE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MESMERISE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they mesmerise    ... he / she / it mesmerises   
Past simple: mesmerised   
Past participle: mesmerised   
-ing form: mesmerising   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Attract strongly, as if with a magnet

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

bewitch; magnetise; magnetize; mesmerise; mesmerize; spellbind

Context example:

She magnetized the audience with her tricks

Hypernyms (to "mesmerise" is one way to...):

charm; influence; tempt (induce into action by using one's charm)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Induce hypnosis in

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

hypnotise; hypnotize; mesmerise; mesmerize

Hypernyms (to "mesmerise" is one way to...):

calm; sedate; tranquilize; tranquillise; tranquillize (cause to be calm or quiet as by administering a sedative to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mesmerise"):

entrance; spellbind (put into a trance)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

Mesmer (Austrian physician who tried to treat diseases with a form of hypnotism (1734-1815))