witches 1 of 2

noun

plural of witch
1
as in sorcerers
a woman believed to have often harmful supernatural powers the 17th-century house had once belonged to a woman who was hanged as a witch

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2
as in hags
a mean or ugly old woman a foul-tempered old witch who is constantly at odds with her neighbors

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3
as in mages
a person skilled in using supernatural forces freakish storms that were once thought to be the work of witches

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witches

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of witch, archaic
as in charms
to attract or delight as if by magic the woman did witch me with her gentle smile

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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 witches
Noun
One of the most famous of these witch-skeptical treatises, from the sixteenth century, was Reginald Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), which forcefully denies the existence of witches. — Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 The film focuses on Merry, the first witch born on Christmas Day, who must defeat a coven of evil witches that has kidnapped Santa Claus in a bid to destroy Christmas. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 For showrunner Sandler, the opportunity to explore witches meant reclaiming powerful women’s narratives. — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026 When the all-girls boarding school for young witches first appeared on the show, the historic Buckner Mansion in New Orleans was used for exterior shots, underscoring Coven’s spooky Southern Gothic aesthetic. — Mekita Rivas, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2026 Snoopy and Woodstock line the outside of the bowl in costumes like cowboys, mummies, bandits, and witches. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 2 Oct. 2026 This fiendishly fun romp puts the spotlight on Whihala the Witch and her ring of dancing circle sister witches, as well as fire-eaters, costume contests, games, food, paranormal investigations and scary displays. — Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
The film, directed by Susanne Bier and starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, reprising their respective roles of sister witches Sally and Gillian Owens, arrives 28 years after the original. — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2026 Last year, Kardashians decorations took a spookier turn, with the reality star’s house being decorated with creepy floating ghosts, witches brooms and piles of pumpkins in shades of traditional orange — plus green, white and hues of brown — and covered in sprawling vines. — Kirsty Hatcher, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025 Are the owners actually witches? — R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for witches
  1. sorcerers
  2. hags
  3. mages
  4. charms
  5. sorceresses
  6. magicians
  7. fascinates
  8. wizards
Noun
  • The Fore said that the disease was caused by secret attacks from sorcerers.
    — Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The woods could be hiding places of witches and sorcerers, disguised as the old and feeble, but capable of summoning wonder and terrors, charms as well as curses.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 July 2026
Definition of sorcerers
Noun
  • The island village is beset by sea hags, serial killers, creepy clowns and other evils that interfere with Tom’s dream of turning Widow’s Bay into a Martha’s Vineyard-like tourist destination.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 17 June 2026
  • Martha’s Vineyard also has knife-wielding men in masks and creepy sea hags!
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Definition of hags
Noun
  • This young adult fantasy follows a 16-year-old who discovers a magical attack and realizes this new world of demons and mages has a connection to her mother’s death.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • Wizards, or mages (as the group has commonly referred to Eleven), develop their powers using arcane magic to cast powerful spells.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025
Definition of mages
Verb
  • But like a bolt of lightning from Zeus himself, Page instantly charms us from his first swig of SunnyD, creating a character whose quippy armor hides a sensitive soul longing for meaningful connection.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 19 July 2026
  • Vibeke charms his in-laws, coos over the baby and, according to Karl’s quick furtive search of her handbag, appears to be taking her meds.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 7 July 2026
Definition of charms
Noun
  • Decades before portraying one of literature’s greatest sorceresses in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Samantha Morton was a magician’s assistant.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 19 July 2026
  • But unlike Odysseus, who survives being waylaid by giants, sorceresses, nymphs, and numerous other distractions, Nolan himself becomes dragged down by the details of his Odyssey.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 July 2026
Definition of sorceresses
Noun
  • For most of history, locksmiths and lockmakers have guarded their secrets as closely as magicians withhold their tricks.
    — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Antoniou developed his craft through years of study with practitioners ranging from tarot readers and psychics to hypnotists, magicians, and psychologists.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of magicians
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
Noun
  • Produced by Hollywood stunt champs 87North, the hard-hitting wizards that have been redefining fight choreography since John Wick, Violent Night 2, like its predecessor, promises heaps of gory and satisfyingly kinetic fight scenes.
    — Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
  • While Star Wars might be known for laser swords and space wizards, it's always been about weird little dudes doing even weirder things.
    — Hayes Madsen, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of wizards

Browse Nearby Words

witchery
witches
witching
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Cite this Entry

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

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