beguiles

verb

present tense third-person singular of beguile
1
as in fascinates
to attract or delight as if by magic the magician effortlessly beguiled and amazed the children

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deceives
to cause to believe what is untrue beguiled her into believing that yet another worthless item would enhance her life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tempts
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage was beguiled by the promise of easy money as a drug dealer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of beguiles Come evening, and the amber lighting of the Manor Inn beguiles; settle in with a pint of the local Wainwrights ale and its beef brisket with red wine gravy and roasted root vegetables. — Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 May 2026 Wedged in the far southeastern corner of the bottom of the continent, between South Africa and Mozambique, Eswatini is the last absolute monarchy in Africa, a status that bewilders modernizers and beguiles traditionalists. — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beguiles
  1. fascinates
  2. deceives
  3. tempts
  4. entices
  5. fools
  6. seduces
  7. delights
  8. tricks
Verb
  • The reaction to this movie fascinates me, starting in Cannes.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026
  • What fascinates me most isn't simply whether Wagner can squeeze 621 miles out of this massive battery.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of fascinates
Verb
  • Here, the dream carries the true emotional weight, and the waking world is what deceives us.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The complaint also claims that the image deceives customers into thinking Lipa has endorsed the product and dilutes her brand identity.
    — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 11 May 2026
Definition of deceives
Verb
  • For most, fear of shame is a necessary backstop to push people away from what wrongly tempts them.
    — Robert A. Ballingall, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2026
  • While Sal tempts Sessa’s Bourdain with drugs, thievery and more bad behavior.
    — Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of tempts
Verb
  • Turkey’s growing hair transplant and restoration industry in particular entices people with easy-to-digest all-inclusive packages advertised on their websites, online placements, and social media.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The high-concept thriller stars Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as a demonic character called The Stranger, who entices a young mother played by Jasmine Trinca into forging a Faustian pact.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of entices
Verb
  • Sebastian Galeano fools the Lake Mary defense by carrying it himself and scampers 40 yards for the touchdown.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Runway, Pika, and a dozen others can produce footage that fools the eye on first watch.
    — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Definition of fools
Verb
  • Artificial plays like a modern-day parable in which the trickster god seduces the innocent.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Diaz centers music as the emotional vehicle that provides a philosophical structure for the character tropes and in turn psychologically seduces the audience to internalize certain ideas of social dynamics.
    — Damaly Gonzalez, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of seduces
Verb
  • This variety pack is the way to go in order to try all the chocolaty delights that Unreal has on offer.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The kind of mid-budget delights Cruise specialized are struggling to exist.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of delights
Verb
  • While Bela is using the bathroom, Other Mommy approaches her and tricks her into agreeing that their family would be better if Frank wasn’t around.
    — William Earl, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Twenty-one players, two tribes — there’s still tricks up host Jeff Probst’s sleeve.
    — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of tricks

Browse Nearby Words

beguilers
beguiles
beguiling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beguiles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beguiles. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All