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spellbinder

[ spel-bahyn-der ]

/ ˈspɛlˌbaɪn dər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR spellbinder ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that spellbinds, especially a powerful speaker who can captivate an audience.

Origin of spellbinder

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; spellbind + -er¹

Words nearby spellbinder

spell, spell checker, spell out, spell-check, spellbind, spellbinder, spellbound, spellchecker, spelldown, speller, speller-divider

Example sentences from the Web for spellbinder

Like the spellbinder, the oracle frequently builds on the look-on-this-picture-and-then-on-that plan.

Twenty Years a Detective in the Wickedest City in the World |Clifton R. Wooldridge
On the stump he does not address the imagination as does the Hibernian spellbinder.

The Old World in the New |Edward Alsworth Ross
It is all very well for the "spellbinder" to claim all the precincts—the official count is just ahead.

The Art of Public Speaking |Dale Carnagey (AKA Dale Carnegie) and J. Berg Esenwein
Course, he's no spellbinder, but he can say what he wants to in a few words and make himself heard.

The House of Torchy |Sewell Ford

But the speakers of both parties were tyros compared to the American brand of spellbinder.

Seven Legs Across the Seas |Samuel Murray

British Dictionary definitions for spellbinder

spellbinder

/ (ˈspɛlˌbaɪndə) /

noun

a person capable of holding others spellbound, esp a political speaker

a novel, play, etc, that holds one enthralled