enthrall


Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.

en·thrall

 (ĕn-thrôl′)
tr.v. en·thralled, en·thrall·ing, en·thralls
1. To hold spellbound; captivate: The magic show enthralled us.
2. To enslave.

[Middle English, to put in bondage : en-, causative pref.; see en-1 + thrall, slave; see thrall.]

en·thrall′ing·ly adv.
en·thrall′ment n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

en•thrall

or en•thral

(ɛnˈθrɔl)

v.t. -thralled, -thrall•ing or -thral•ling.
1. to captivate or charm; spellbind.
2. to put or hold in slavery; subjugate.
[1570–80]
en•thrall′er, n.
en•thrall′ment, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

enthrall


Past participle: enthralled
Gerund: enthralling

Imperative
enthrall
enthrall
Present
I enthrall
you enthrall
he/she/it enthralls
we enthrall
you enthrall
they enthrall
Preterite
I enthralled
you enthralled
he/she/it enthralled
we enthralled
you enthralled
they enthralled
Present Continuous
I am enthralling
you are enthralling
he/she/it is enthralling
we are enthralling
you are enthralling
they are enthralling
Present Perfect
I have enthralled
you have enthralled
he/she/it has enthralled
we have enthralled
you have enthralled
they have enthralled
Past Continuous
I was enthralling
you were enthralling
he/she/it was enthralling
we were enthralling
you were enthralling
they were enthralling
Past Perfect
I had enthralled
you had enthralled
he/she/it had enthralled
we had enthralled
you had enthralled
they had enthralled
Future
I will enthrall
you will enthrall
he/she/it will enthrall
we will enthrall
you will enthrall
they will enthrall
Future Perfect
I will have enthralled
you will have enthralled
he/she/it will have enthralled
we will have enthralled
you will have enthralled
they will have enthralled
Future Continuous
I will be enthralling
you will be enthralling
he/she/it will be enthralling
we will be enthralling
you will be enthralling
they will be enthralling
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been enthralling
you have been enthralling
he/she/it has been enthralling
we have been enthralling
you have been enthralling
they have been enthralling
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been enthralling
you will have been enthralling
he/she/it will have been enthralling
we will have been enthralling
you will have been enthralling
they will have been enthralling
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been enthralling
you had been enthralling
he/she/it had been enthralling
we had been enthralling
you had been enthralling
they had been enthralling
Conditional
I would enthrall
you would enthrall
he/she/it would enthrall
we would enthrall
you would enthrall
they would enthrall
Past Conditional
I would have enthralled
you would have enthralled
he/she/it would have enthralled
we would have enthralled
you would have enthralled
they would have enthralled
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.enthrall - hold spellboundenthrall - hold spellbound      
delight, please - give pleasure to or be pleasing to; "These colors please the senses"; "a pleasing sensation"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

enthrall

verb
1. To act upon with or as if with magic:
2. To compel, as the attention, interest, or imagination, of:
Slang: grab.
3. To make subservient or subordinate:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
apburt

enthral

(inˈθroːl) (American) enthrallpast tense, past participle enˈthralled verb
to delight greatly. His stories enthralled the children.
enˈthralling adjective
enˈthralment noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
So without least impulse or shadow of Fate, Or aught by me immutablie foreseen, They trespass, Authors to themselves in all Both what they judge and what they choose; for so I formd them free, and free they must remain, Till they enthrall themselves: I else must change Thir nature, and revoke the high Decree Unchangeable, Eternal, which ordain'd Thir freedom, they themselves ordain'd thir fall.
And when I bade the dream Upon thy spirit flee, Thy violet eyes to me Upturned, did overflowing seem With the deep, untold delight Of Love's serenity; Thy classic brow, like lilies white And pale as the Imperial Night Upon her throne, with stars bedight, Enthralled my soul to thee!
Some of his shorter stories I have found thin and cold to my later reading, and I have never cared much for the 'House of Seven Gables,' but the other day I was reading the 'Blithedale Romance' again, and I found it as potent, as significant, as sadly and strangely true as when it first enthralled my soul.
With parted lips, with palms tight pressed against her heaving bosom, the girl leaned forward, large-eyed, enthralled by the vision of her dead mate.
Her seductive voice, together with his great love for her, had enthralled his senses, had deprived him of every impulse but the longing to hold her and keep her.
I only tell you that I shall preserve for ever inscribed on my memory the service you have rendered me in order to tender you my gratitude while life shall last me; and would to Heaven love held me not so enthralled and subject to its laws and to the eyes of that fair ingrate whom I name between my teeth, but that those of this lovely damsel might be the masters of my liberty."
"Then why do you love me?" he questioned, enthralled after the manner of all lovers in the everlasting query that for ever has remained unanswered.
It contained leaves of white paper for memoranda, and upon the first leaf was the name "Halpin Frayser." Written in red on several succeeding leaves--scrawled as if in haste and barely legible--were the following lines, which Holker read aloud, while his companion continued scanning the dim gray confines of their narrow world and hearing matter of apprehension in the drip of water from every burdened branch: "Enthralled by some mysterious spell, I stood In the lit gloom of an enchanted wood.
It is disconsolate enough, this riding, to the stranger, who, with well-filled pocket and well-appointed horse, threads the lonely way on some errand of business; but wilder, drearier, to the man enthralled, whom every weary step bears further from all that man loves and prays for.
I sat in the dingy box absolutely enthralled. I forgot that I was in London and in the nineteenth century.
Thus did he speak, and they all held their peace throughout the covered cloister, enthralled by the charm of his story, till presently Alcinous began to speak.
I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again: Mine ear is much enamoured of thy note, So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape; And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me, On the first view, to say, to swear, I love thee.