1
a(1)
: to name the letters of in order
also
: to write or print the letters of in order
(2)
: to write or print the letters of in a particular way
b
: to make up (a word)
What word do these letters spell?
c
: write sense 1b
Catnip is spelled as one word.
2
: to add up to : mean
crop failure was likely to spell stark famine—
Stringfellow Barr
Stringfellow Barr3
: to find out by study : come to understand
—often used with out
it requires some pains to spell out those decorations—F. J. Mather
F. J. Mather4
: to read slowly and with difficulty
—often used with out
: to form words with letters
teach children to spell
also
: to spell words in a certain way
spells the way he speaks
1
a
: a spoken word or form of words held to have magic power
b
: a state of enchantment
2
: a strong compelling influence or attraction
1
a
: an indeterminate period of time
waited a spell before advancing
also
: a continuous period of time
did a spell in prison
b
: a stretch of a specified type of weather
2
: a period of bodily or mental distress or disorder
a spell of coughing
fainting spells
3
a
: a period spent in a job or occupation
b
chiefly Australia
: a period of rest from work, activity, or use
4
a
: one's turn at work
b
archaic
: a shift of workers
spelled
ˈspeld 
; spelling
; spelling
Synonyms
Examples of spell in a Sentence
Verb (1)
it was as if he had spelled the public into believing his ridiculous claims
that summertime combination of hot temperatures and equally hot tempers can spell trouble
Noun (1)
the witch cast a spell that turned the prince into a toad
a dizzy spell that caused me to fall
come rest a spell
Recent Examples on the Web
George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
The idea was that the ballad is a spell that opens the road, but, really, the ballad is the thing that motivated Billy’s subconscious to create the spell that creates the road.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Nov. 2024
Tara John, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
That spells an opportunity for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States.
—Ken Silverstein, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spell 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
My pulse kept racing; my mouth went dry and prickly; dizzy spells came on.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
The idea was that the ballad is a spell that opens the road, but, really, the ballad is the thing that motivated Billy’s subconscious to create the spell that creates the road.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
Netanyahu has struggled to maintain a hold over his fragile, right-wing governing coalition and its muddle of competing interests, whose collapse could spell the end of his leadership.
—Tara John, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
That spells an opportunity for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States.
—Ken Silverstein, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spell
Dictionary Entries Near spell
Cite this Entry
“Spell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spell. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spell
1 of 5 noun1
a
: a spoken word or form of words believed to have magic power
b
: a state of enchantment
2
: a very strong influence or attraction
spell
2 of 5 verb
: to put under a spell : bewitch
spell
4 of 5 verb
spelled
ˈspeld,
ˈspelt
; spelling
1
a
: to name, write, or print the letters of in order
b
: to be the letters of
"c-a-t" spells "cat"
2
: to amount to : mean
what you do could spell the difference between life and death
that usually spells trouble
Etymology
Noun
Old English spell "talk, tale"
Verb
Old English spelian "to take the place of, relieve"
Verb
Middle English spellen "to mean, signify, read by spelling out letters," from early French espeleir (same meaning); of Germanic origin
Noun
probably an altered form of Old English spale "a substitute"; the spelling probably influenced in Middle English by the similar word spelen "to substitute for, relieve"
Medical Definition
spell
noun
: a period of bodily or mental distress or disorder
a spell of coughing
fainting spells
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