spells 1 of 2

noun

plural of spell
1
as in incantations
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 bouts
a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder a dizzy spell that caused me to fall

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in whiles
an indefinite but usually short period of time come rest a spell

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spells

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of spell
1
as in possesses
to cast a spell on it was as if he had spelled the public into believing his ridiculous claims

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in means
to communicate or convey (as an idea) to the mind that summertime combination of hot temperatures and equally hot tempers can spell trouble

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spells
Noun
Provide the Right Light Levels Mums bloom best in full sun, though too much direct sun during spells of hot weather can cause flower colors to fade. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Sep. 2026 Dull spells and lulls will crop up, building like waves, peaking, crashing, then dissipating. — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Since then, had loan spells at Stoke City, Birmingham City and Hull. — James Pearce, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 All the while, #witchtok garners millions of posts, and there’s no shortage of flash sales for love spells – or curses. — Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 As the Owens well know, some spells are built to last, others to be broken. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 Shakeel and Masood got relief when Robinson and Archer finished their spells and took fighting runs from Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 On the Practical Magic 2 press junket, Kidman and Sandra Bullock talked revenge spells with Kidman’s niece, Lucia Hawley. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
Whether the evidence spells the end of peewee football remains up in the air. — Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026 Your relationship with Brian Duffield, who also spells his first name correctly, is largely built around sharing memes together. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026 Our guide to Acadia National Park spells it all out and more—and don’t forget your hiking boots! — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026 The Sofitel brand, after all, spells amenities, loyalty programs, and an international set. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026 On others, handwritten spells manifesting joy or health dance across the white surface. — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 And a few thousands of a second often spells the difference between profits and losses. — Bernard Condon, Fortune, 18 July 2026 The resumption of the season also spells the beginning of the end for three of the worst umpires in the league. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026 All of this spells the need for clear rules and for lawmakers and law enforcement to catch up with this rapidly changing transportation. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 5 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spells
  1. incantations
  2. bouts
  3. whiles
  4. possesses
  5. means
  6. curses
  7. attacks
  8. bits
Noun
  • Fascinatingly, however, the incantations are neither soothing nor conciliatory.
    — Eleanor Johnson, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The Hoodoo tradition presumes a belief in a supernatural or spirit world that can be called upon for assistance, often through charms and incantations.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of incantations
Noun
  • Grundberg said the current escalation in Yemen has become more complicated compared to previous bouts of violence over the course of the civil war.
    — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Suppressing this same pathway produced the opposite result, limiting the ability to switch behavior, driving longer bouts of the repetitive behavior, as per the release.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of bouts
Noun
  • UCHealth’s decision to postpone surgeries whiles staff addressed the sterilization problem stands out from other hospitals that have found themselves in similar situations.
    — Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2025
Definition of whiles
Verb
  • The Justice Department argued that the decision demonstrated that Congress possesses at least some authority to establish voter qualifications in federal elections.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
  • When new, concrete possesses a thin, temporarily protective layer that, if not maintained, will wear away, exposing the interior, which gradually crumbles.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of possesses
Verb
  • Yet, despite these extraordinary advances, the brain still holds countless mysteries, with much more left to learn and discover and optogenetics has given us a powerful means to take on these challenges.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2026
  • What this means, in practical terms, is that the songs on Beat elevate mood above structure.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of means
Noun
  • Vieira said the show offers another opportunity for people to discover Rockport beyond the fictional curses portrayed in the series.
    — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • But repression isn’t a good plan when generations-long curses run in the bloodline, because Sally’s daughter Kylie (Joey King), now a college student, has gone and fallen in love behind her mother’s back.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of curses
Noun
  • In Congo, where the outbreak has spread to seven provinces, responders have faced attacks on health teams, misinformation about the virus, a failure by locals to report symptoms and rebel violence that has limited access to treatment centers.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The question also raised the recent spread of controversies over individual films into attacks on cast and crew and campaigns to halt screenings.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of attacks
Noun
  • Drawn from the Times or local rags, the cutouts sometimes included images; others were just bits of text from the news or obituary sections.
    — Ryan Sullivan, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Unavoidably the text has been chopped and channeled, with some swapping of parts, bits of narration screwed into dialogue and events described in a paragraph blown out into scenes.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of bits

Browse Nearby Words

spell out
spells
spells out
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Cite this Entry

“Spells.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spells. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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