What does "mesmerize" mean?

To exercise mesmerism on; to affect another person, such as to heal or soothe, through the use of animal magnetism.

What is a synonym for "mesmerize"?

Common synonyms include: hypnotize, hypnotize, magnetize, spellbind, spellbind, absorb.

Pronounced //ˈmɛzməɹaɪz//.

//ˈmɛzməɹaɪz// verb

verb ·Moderate ·College level

Verb

1
To exercise mesmerism on; to affect another person, such as to heal or soothe, through the use of animal magnetism.
"Mesmer had about a hundred people whom he had instructed as magnetisers, some of whom belonged to the nobility, who also "mesmerised" people by making passes over the affected parts of the body."
2
induce hypnosis in wordnet
3
To spellbind; to enthrall.
"She mesmerized the audience with her tricks"
4
attract strongly, as if with a magnet wordnet

"Snakes are said to mesmerize small animals and birds."

Back-formation from mesmerism, thus mesmerism + -ize; first attested in 1829.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.