Captivate

/ˈkæptɪveɪt/ · verb

Meaning

To make (a person, an animal, etc.) a captive; to take prisoner; to capture, to subdue..

Definitions by Sense

1. To make (a person, an animal, etc.) a captive; to take prisoner; to capture, to subdue.
2. To capture or control (the mind, etc.); to subdue, to subjugate.
3. (figuratively) To attract and hold (someone's) attention and interest; to charm, to entrance, to fascinate, to enchain.
4. (also figuratively, obsolete) Made captive; taken prisoner; captured, subdued.

Example Sentences

Hovv ill-beſeeming is it in thy Sex, / To triumph like an Amazonian Trull, / Vpon their VVoes, vvhom Fortune captiuates?

Dabuh is the name of a ſimple and baſe creature like a VVolfe, ſaue that his legges and feete are like to a mans: ſo fooliſh, that vvith a ſong, & a Taber, they vvhich knovv his haunt vvill bring him out of his denne, and captiue his eares vvith their muſicke, vvhile another captiuateth his legges vvith a Rope.

Hee hath no skill in Rhetoricke, nor can hee vvith a preface fore-ſtall and captivate the Gentle Readers good vvill: nor careth he greatly to knovve it.

They that are vviſe, had rather haue their iudgements at libertie in differences of readings, then to be captiuated to one, vvhen it may be the other.

'Tis a greater credit to know the ways of captivating Nature, and making her subserve our purposes, than to have learned all the intrigues of policy.

Hir ſlippers rauyſhed his eyes, hir bewtye captyuated his mynde, with the swerde ſmote ſhe of his neck.

[L]oe thus my ſtrength is tride. / And this I do to captiuate the eye, / Of the faire breeder that is ſtanding by.

Besides, Rose Bradwardine, beautiful and amiable as we have described her, had not precisely the sort of beauty or merit which captivates a romantic imagination in early youth.

Synonyms for captivate

Antonyms for captivate

Related Words

Word Forms

• captivates
• captivating
• captivated
• no-table-tags
• glossary
• captivate
• captivatest
• captivatedst
• captivateth
• -
• more captivate
• most captivate

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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