mesmerize

verb

mes·​mer·​ize ˈmez-mə-ˌrīz 

 also  ˈmes-

mesmerized; mesmerizing

transitive verb

1

: to subject to mesmerism

also : hypnotize

2

: spellbind

I found myself mesmerized by the grandiosity of it all

—Arnold Plotnick

The crowd was mesmerized by the acrobats.

mesmerizer noun

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."

Synonyms

• arrest
• bedazzle
• catch up
• enchant
• enthrall
• enthral
• fascinate
• grip
• hypnotize
• spellbind

Examples of mesmerize in a Sentence

discovered that the children were mesmerized by a television show

Recent Examples on the Web

How Deep is Your Love | Dir. Eleanor Mortimer; 2025; U.K.; 100 min Scientists explore the mysterious deep sea to collect and name undiscovered species in this whimsical and mesmerizing oceanic odyssey. —Addie Morfoot, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025

But his zigzagging flow here, timed to increasingly boisterous jazz, is mesmerizing. 72. —Stephen Kearse, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025

Unfortunately for young girls mesmerized by speed and competition, climbing the ranks reveals a price tag that is staggering, stacking up at every rung on the ladder. —Kanzah Maktoum, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025

World & Nation Profile : Le Pen: Dark Side of the French Soul : Crude, powerful and dangerous, the onetime barroom brawler with the mesmerizing oratory has built a career on hatred. —Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

mesmerize

verb

mes·​mer·​ize ˈmez-mə-ˌrīz 

also

ˈmes- 

mesmerized; mesmerizing

1

: hypnotize

2

: fascinate sense 1, spellbind

Medical Definition

mesmerize

transitive verb

mes·​mer·​ize

variants or British mesmerise

-mə-ˌrīz 

mesmerized or British mesmerised; mesmerizing or British mesmerising

: to subject to mesmerism

also : hypnotize

mesmerization noun

or British mesmerisation

ˌmez-mə-ri-ˈzā-shən