in thrall
idiom
literary
: in a state of being controlled or strongly influenced by someone or something
He was completely in thrall to her.
He was completely in her thrall.
Examples of in thrall in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This elite is in thrall to the United States, not the European people.
—
Brett L. Carter, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2023
The Beach Boys’ debut album, Surfin’ Safari, shows a band still in thrall to the surf boom but with enough melodic chops to set them apart from their peers.
—Will Ainsley, SPIN, 24 May 2024
For most of the album, Swift seesaws between songs about being in thrall to never-before-experienced passion and personal compatibility with a guy from the wrong side of the tracks.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
His mind worked in peculiar ways, and his prose seemed always in thrall to stylistic principles that did not exist for anyone else.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for in thrall 
Brett L. Carter, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2023
The Beach Boys’ debut album, Surfin’ Safari, shows a band still in thrall to the surf boom but with enough melodic chops to set them apart from their peers.
—Will Ainsley, SPIN, 24 May 2024
For most of the album, Swift seesaws between songs about being in thrall to never-before-experienced passion and personal compatibility with a guy from the wrong side of the tracks.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
His mind worked in peculiar ways, and his prose seemed always in thrall to stylistic principles that did not exist for anyone else.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for in thrall
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in thrall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near in thrall
Cite this Entry
“In thrall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20thrall. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share