witchcraft

noun

witch·​craft ˈwich-ˌkraft 

1

a

: the use of sorcery or magic

b

: communication with the devil or with a familiar

2

: an irresistible influence or fascination

3

a

: rituals and practices that incorporate belief in magic and that are associated especially with neo-pagan traditions and religions (such as Wicca)

Practitioners of Wicca … use the tools … such as the broom (a purifying symbol), the wand, candles, crystals and the knife …. They refer to their practices as witchcraft …

—Lesley Wright

b

or less commonly Witchcraft : a tradition or religion that involves the practice of witchcraft

Feminist witchcraft sees women's oppression and environmental abuse, which they argue are intimately linked, as firmly rooted in patriarchal religions.

—Wendy Griffin

Wicca, which emerged in the 1940s in England, is the original form of modern Pagan Witchcraft.

—Meg Yardley

Synonyms

• bewitchery
• bewitchment
• conjuring
• devilry
• deviltry
• diablerie
• enchantment
• ensorcellment
• magic
• mojo
• necromancy
• sorcery
• thaumaturgy
• voodooism
• witchery
• wizardry

Examples of witchcraft in a Sentence

taught all of her daughters witchcraft

Recent Examples on the Web

The leadership of folks like Book and the Trans Folk Witch is especially significant considering the long history of exclusion within witchcraft. —Emma Cieslik, Them, 1 Nov. 2024

At the time, left-handedness was associated with witchcraft, so crew members would have relied on their right hands and put more stress on their right sides during repetitive tasks on the ship, Shankland said. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024

But on the whole, the only explanation for this thing is witchcraft. —New Atlas, 30 Nov. 2024

Global Vision has held conferences and events on the campus, such as burning items the church believes is related to the occult and witchcraft. —Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 24 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

witchcraft

noun

witch·​craft -ˌkraft 

: the use of sorcery or magic