mesmerize
verb
Arnold Plotnick
Did you know?
Experts can’t agree on whether Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) was a quack or a genius, but all concede that the Swabian physician's name is the source of the word mesmerize. In his day, Mesmer was the toast of Paris, where he enjoyed the support of notables including Queen Marie Antoinette. He treated patients with therapeutic procedures (called, appropriately enough, mesmerism) involving what he claimed was a mysterious force termed animal magnetism. (Many believe that mesmerism was what we now call hypnotism). Accordingly, the verb mesmerize was first used to mean "to subject to mesmerism" before broadening to be synonymous with hypnotize, and later to mean "to amaze or captivate."
Examples of mesmerize in a Sentence
Nasha Smith, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025
But Oskar continued to be mesmerized, staring at the rotating blades.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025
Long before his arrival this winter, the Dodgers were already mesmerized with Sasaki’s stuff; from his upper-90s mph fastball to a forkball-grip splitter that their evaluators (like much the rest of the baseball industry) graded as an elite-level pitch.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2025
His advocacy for Juicy’s isolation mesmerizes, Cunningham displaying one heckuva range that takes the play anywhere due to his commitment to building from the inside out.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mesmerize
Cite this Entry
“Mesmerize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mesmerize. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
mesmerize
transitive verb
Share