spell.

1. Words or an influence believed to produce a magical effect.

2. A limited period during which an activity, condition, or state continues.

3. To state or write the letters that make up a word.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• cast a spell
• under a spell

On the page

The villagers believed the house was under a spell.

Usage notes

Primary category: horror / gothic. Forms: Singular spell; plural spells. Verb spell, spells, spelled or spelt, spelled or spelt, spelling. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: spells.