Definition of "captivate" [cap•ti•vate]

• To attract and hold by charm, beauty, or excellence. See Synonyms at charm. (verb-transitive)
• Archaic To capture. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "We tossed to the fish humbugs of wool, silk, and feathers, gauds such as captivate the greedy or the guileless."
• "Another apparently had the word "captivate" confused with something else, but darned if I can figure out what: "Furthermore, many families found that having [a popular fictional television family] captivated as a cartoon was inappropriate because it wold target the viewers of children.""
• "Treasure Hunt: one of several vintage gameshows to captivate the attention of Enter4entertainment staff."