spell
[verb]
indicate, augur, imply, mean, point to, portend, signify
————————
[noun]
Synonyms:
- incantation, charm
- fascination, allure, bewitchment, enchantment, glamour, magic
————————
[noun]
period, bout, course, interval, season, stretch, term, time

---

Related Words: bewitching, enchanting, hexing, streak, patch, period, stretch, relay

---

English Thesaurus: magic, witchcraft, spell, curse, the occult, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. spell¹ S2 /spel/ verb (past tense and past participle spelt /spelt/ especially British English or spelled especially American English)
[Word Family: noun: spelling, speller., misspelling; verb: spell, misspell]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: espeller]

1. [intransitive and transitive] to form a word by writing or naming the letters in order:
How do you spell ‘juice’?
Pupils should know how to spell commonly used words.
spell something wrong/wrongly
You’ve spelled my name wrong.

2. [transitive not in passive] if letters spell a word, they form it:
B-O-O-K spells ‘book’.

3. spell trouble/disaster/danger etc if a situation or action spells trouble etc, it makes you expect trouble etc:
The lack of rain could spell disaster for farmers.

4. [transitive] American English to do someone else’s work for them for a short period so that they can rest:
I can spell you if you get tired.
spell something ↔ out phrasal verb

1. to explain something clearly and in detail
spell out how/what etc
The report spelled out in detail what the implications were for teacher training.

2. to show how a word is spelled by writing or saying the letters separately in order:
‘W-E-I-R,’ she said, spelling it out.

3. to write a word in its complete form instead of using an abbreviation

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. spell² noun [countable]
[Sense 1,3-4: Language: Old English; Origin: 'talk, story']
[Sense 2: Date: 1600-1700; Origin: spell 'to take the place of another' (11-21 centuries), from Old English spelian]

1. a piece of magic that someone does, or the special words or ceremonies used in doing it:
a magic spell
put/cast a spell on somebody (=do a piece of magic to change someone)
The kiss of the prince broke the spell (=stopped the magic from working).
be under a spell
The whole town seemed to be under a spell.

2. a period of a particular kind of activity, weather, illness etc, usually a short period
brief/short spell
After a brief spell in the army, I returned to teaching.
spell of
a spell of bad luck
cold/wet/dry spell
Water the young plants carefully during dry spells.
a day of sunny spells and scattered showers
He began to suffer from dizzy spells.

3. a power that attracts, interests, and influences you very strongly
fall/come/be under a spell
I fell under the spell of her charm.
an ancient city that still casts its spell over travellers

4. break the spell to make someone stop paying all their attention to something, or to make a time stop feeling special:
He lay still, not wanting to break the spell.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

spell
noun
I. period of time
ADJ. lengthy, long, prolonged | brief, short | 5-minute, 10-day, etc. | good | bad He's going through a bit of a bad spell at the moment.
quiet | barren, lean Viera ended his barren spell with a goal against Parma.
cold, dry, hot, mild, sunny, warm, wet
VERB + SPELL go through, have
PREP. during a … ~ She managed to write a letter during a quiet spell at work.
~ as He had a brief spell as ambassador to Turkey.
PHRASES a spell of … weather a spell of sunny weather
a spell of unemployment

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

spell
II. magical effect
ADJ. magic, magical | powerful | hypnotic the hypnotic spell of the crickets singing in the garden
VERB + SPELL be/come/fall under | cast, put, weave The witch cast a spell on/over them.
break, remove She uttered the magic word, and the spell was broken.
PREP. under a/the ~ Sleeping Beauty was under a spell when the prince found her.
under sb's ~ The audience was completely under his spell.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

spell
verb
ADV. correctly, wrongly
PREP. as The article spelled ‘survey’ as ‘servay’.
with Is ‘necessary’ spelt with one ‘s’, or two?
PHRASAL VERBS spell sth out
ADV. clearly | fully, in detail | exactly, precisely She spelled out precisely what she wanted.
VERB + SPELL have to, need to
PREP. for Do I really have to spell it out for you?
to His speech spelled out a clear message to the car industry.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

spell

a magic spell
She found an ancient book of magic spells.
an evil spell
The people still believe in evil spells.
cast a spell (on somebody) (=do some magic)
Suddenly everyone froze, as if a wizard had cast a spell on them.
weave a spell (=do some magic)
She wove a spell, so that he slept forever and never grew old.
put a spell on somebody (=make magic affect someone)
The fairy put a terrible spell on the princess.
break a spell (=end the effect of some magic)
No one knew how to break the spell.
a brief/short spell
After a brief spell in a florist's shop, she became a hairdresser.
a long/prolonged spell
We have just had a long spell of unusually dry weather.
a dry/wet spell
Keep fuchsias well watered during prolonged dry spells in summer.
a cold/warm/hot spell
There was a very cold spell in late November.
sunny spells
Tuesday will be dry with sunny spells.
a dizzy/fainting spell (=one when you feel unable to stand steadily and your head feels unclear)
She must have had a dizzy spell and fallen.
a good/bad spell
The team had some good spells during the match.
a quiet spell (=when not much is happening)
We've had quite a quiet spell at work recently.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

magic noun [uncountable] the power to make impossible things happen, by saying special words or doing special actions:
In the story, she uses magic to turn him into a frog.
Local people believe that he can heal wounds and illnesses using magic.
witchcraft noun [uncountable] the use of magic, usually to do bad things:
Hundreds of women were accused of witchcraft in the 1600s.
spell noun [countable] a special set of words or actions that are used to make something happen by magic:
a magic spell
An evil witch cast a spell on him (=said a special set of words or did a special series of actions, in order to make something happen to someone by magic), turning him into a beast.
curse (also hex American English) noun [countable] something that makes someone or something have bad luck:
The house seemed to have a curse on it.
People believed the pharaoh would put a curse on (=use magic to make them have bad luck)anyone who broke into the tomb.
She believed her former husband had put a hex on her.
the occult mysterious powers and events that involve magic and spirits:
He was very interested in the occult.
voodoo noun [uncountable] magical beliefs and practices used as a form of religion:
a voodoo curse
In Haiti, the people still practice voodoo.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲