spelled

verb

past tense of spell
1
as in possessed
to cast a spell on it was as if he had spelled the public into believing his ridiculous claims

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in meant
to communicate or convey (as an idea) to the mind that summertime combination of hot temperatures and equally hot tempers can spell trouble

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 spelled Lifted from the pavement, that lead spelled a letter in her hand. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 And when Walker was spelled, Emmett Johnson picked up tough yards. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026 Still, there is no place for striker Deniz Undav, who led Germany with three goals and two assists at the World Cup before a round-of-32 loss on penalties to Paraguay spelled the end of coach Julian Nagelsmann's tenure. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 While most are familiar with the name spelled John, this spelling has held its own spot on the chart since 1920. — Sarah Scott, Parents, 17 Sep. 2026 The Colts were just one touchdown drive away from knocking off the Texans in the regular-season finale and securing a postseason berth, but an errant pass from Minshew on fourth-and-1 spelled the end of their season. — James Boyd, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026 The shape spelled cat, and there was only one kind of cat in India big enough to make such prints. — Leslie E. Tassell, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026 This festival, whose name is actually Halloween spelled backward, is the largest annual festival in Kansas. — Katy Spratte Joyce, Midwest Living, 22 Aug. 2026 Adames also committed an error on a routine grounder in the bottom of the seventh that could’ve spelled disaster, but Houser got out of the inning unscathed. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spelled
  1. possessed
  2. meant
  3. struck
  4. signified
  5. cursed
  6. denoted
  7. enchanted
  8. implied
Verb
  • And when addressing the fact that there would be no allocution or explanation from Kohberger, the judge also questioned whether Kohberger even possessed the capacity to say something truthful.
    — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In Jennifer’s Body, Needy (Seyfried) is BFFs with the titular mean girl played by Fox, whose body becomes possessed by a succubus with a taste for teen boys after a botched sacrifice by a devil-worshipping boy band (led by Adam Brody).
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of possessed
Verb
  • But inside was a solid-state transformer, or SST—an array of power electronics that was meant to do the work of several pieces of that gear—and hopefully much more.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • China has backed its ambitions with extensive reforms that are explicitly meant to strengthen intellectual property protections.
    — Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of meant
Verb
  • The Houthis also struck two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Police said a dark Chevrolet pickup drove onto a field during a youth soccer game and struck children and adults.
    — Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of struck
Verb
  • Whatever the detail signified, this was his final bow for Saint Laurent.
    — Luke Leitch, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The ceremonial ringing of the bell to open the market also signified the release of our latest ranking of Europe’s biggest businesses.
    — Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of signified
Verb
  • Kristian Matsson, who records under the moniker The Tallest Man on Earth, is both blessed and cursed by having arrived nearly fully formed.
    — David Harris, SPIN, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Shunned by locals, who believe she is cursed, Eleni turns to ancient rituals to resurrect her dead offspring but instead summons malevolent folkloric creatures known as the Kalikantzari.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of cursed
Verb
  • The machine generated about a dozen or so graphs, marked by human figures and bursts of colors that denoted energy fields, broken down by organ—and even tooth.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Farrar’s post was a tiny script, of sorts, in which a character makes a pronouncement that is then interrupted by an action denoted by asterisks.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of denoted
Verb
  • My daughter was enchanted by the Balinese rice-on-the-forehead ritual for good fortune that is a part of the arrival, and the front desk staff happily indulged her request to do it again—multiple times a day.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps too enchanted, as Pitt lost his date on the dance floor that night.
    — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of enchanted
Verb
  • It was implied that the residency would draw upon multiple bonds that the band has built with the venue, the city, and the surrounding Bay Area fanbase over the years.
    — Benjy Eisen, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Aly’s quarrel begins with a name; Luna’s arrives at the rank implied by father.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of implied

Browse Nearby Words

spellbound
spelled
spelled out
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Cite this Entry

“Spelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spelled. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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