séance

noun

sé·​ance ˈsā-ˌän(t)s How to pronounce séance (audio)
-ˌäⁿs,
sā-ˈän(t)s,
-ˈäⁿs
1
2
: a spiritualist meeting to receive spirit communications

Examples of séance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The name, Conjuring Valentino, comes from stories of Mae West holding seances in the Harding Hotel in the 20s - trying to reach out and commune with her famous dead lover, Rudolph Valentino. Aly Walansky, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024 The other players have gathered to conduct a seance to try to ask the ghost who killed them, where, and with what weapon. WIRED, 9 Oct. 2024 Despite Lazlo’s scientific protestations, the vampires are forced to perform a seance to remove a ghost infestation, only to be haunted afterwards by their human selves and/or a serious lack of updog. Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2024 Readings start at 5:30pm Tuesday, with the first seance at 6:30pm. Lindsey Erdody, Axios, 21 Oct. 2024 Tomato Soup With Ghost Toasts Should your preference for spooky treats lean more savory, host a soup seance. Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024 The girls then reportedly contacted a medium to perform a seance, which determined that the Raggedy Ann doll was inhabited by the spirit of Annabelle Higgins, a young girl who resided on the property but died at age 7, long before the current apartment block was erected. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2024 In the wake of the 2014 story, the home was the target of vandalism and seances after drawing national attention. Joe Mutascio, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Sep. 2024 Otho takes the lead in holding seances to bring the dead back to life as an entertainment ploy. Lisa Stardust, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from seoir to sit, assemble, from Old French, from Latin sedēre — more at sit

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of séance was in 1803

Dictionary Entries Near séance

Cite this Entry

“Séance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/s%C3%A9ance. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

séance

noun
sé·​ance ˈsā-ˌän(t)s How to pronounce séance (audio)
1
: a meeting for discussion : session
2
: a meeting to receive the communications of spirits
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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