1
as in curse
a spoken word or set of words believed to have magic power
the witch cast a spell that turned the prince into a toad
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in bout
a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder
a dizzy spell that caused me to fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in while
an indefinite but usually short period of time
come rest a spell
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to possess
to cast a spell on
it was as if he had spelled the public into believing his ridiculous claims
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to mean
to communicate or convey (as an idea) to the mind
that summertime combination of hot temperatures and equally hot tempers can spell trouble
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spell
Lauren Rosenthal, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2026
Following his spell at Juventus, Ancelotti was named manager of AC Milan in 2001, as the club sought to reestablish itself as one of Europe’s top teams.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026
Serhiy Morgunov, Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2026
That would virtually spell the end of the video coaches and the iPads.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spell
Noun
The dryness is expected to persist through spring after weeks of scant rainfall and a late-winter heat spell that fueled massive pasture fires across the nation’s breadbasket.
—Lauren Rosenthal, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2026
Following his spell at Juventus, Ancelotti was named manager of AC Milan in 2001, as the club sought to reestablish itself as one of Europe’s top teams.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
In 2019, Nadiia Mudryk-Mochalova fled to Chornobyl, as the Ukrainians spell it, for work — after moving to Kyiv with her daughters to escape the armed men who occupied their town in the eastern Luhansk region near the Russian border.
—Serhiy Morgunov, Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2026
That would virtually spell the end of the video coaches and the iPads.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spell
Noun
-
Baseball has always been a sport that believes in the occult — in juju and curses and superstitions.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
-
Mike Russo writes that, in breaking their curse, the Wild may have their best shot at a title in franchise history.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Many investors showed up for the duo’s famous Q&A sessions that covered the business, but often included bouts of comedy.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
4 May 2026
-
After a long-term deal with Disney for pay-per-view events expired, UFC bouts shifted to Paramount+, available to all subscribers without an extra fee.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Tweens and teens look to each other for clarity and guidance on how to behave and how to feel, all the while gambling with each other’s social confidence and self-esteem.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Pharoah, best known for being a cast member of Saturday Night Live between 2010-2016, had been talking to Fox for a while about hosting a show.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The indictment charges each individual with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, officials said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Officials define crime guns as firearms that have been stolen or are illegally possessed, have been used in a crime, or are suspected of having been used in a crime.—
Connor Sheets,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Milan’s defeat on Sunday lunchtime meant Inter could clinch the Scudetto with a draw against Parma.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
Interestingly enough, his rise as a baseball player meant making the ultimate personal sacrifice.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
As prospective farmers struggled to clear forests for rice fields in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Malaya, their efforts might have been accompanied by mystical incantations like this invocation against Iblis, the Devil in Islamic tradition.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
24 Apr. 2026
-
In that loud and sultry enclosure, the aspirants lined up and repeated the same information, over and over, like an incantation to open a magic door.—
Taran Khan,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Kings have prioritized defense for most of the past two decades, often playing a sticky, trapping style that doesn’t promote offensive creativity or attack.—
Greg Beacham,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
-
Severe is the second-highest rung on a five-point scale and means intelligence agencies consider an attack highly likely in the next six months.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
It is fitted out with a teaching kitchen, a podcast-production space, a large classroom called the Democracy in Action Lab, and a recording studio.—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Jay Blackman Jay Blackman is an NBC News producer covering such areas as transportation, space, medical and consumer issues.—
Jay Blackman,
NBC news,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spell. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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