enchain

verb

en·​chain in-ˈchān How to pronounce enchain (audio)
enchained; enchaining; enchains
Synonyms of enchainnext

transitive verb

: to bind or hold with or as if with chains
enchainment
in-ˈchān-mənt How to pronounce enchain (audio)
noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of enchain in a Sentence

learned to stop being enchained by fear and live a full life

Word History

Etymology

Middle English encheynen, from Anglo-French enchaener, from en- + chaene chain

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of enchain was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near enchain

enchafe

enchain

enchaînement

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Enchain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enchain. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

enchain

verb
en·​chain in-ˈchān How to pronounce enchain (audio)
: to bind with or as if with chains
enchainment
-mənt How to pronounce enchain (audio)
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

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 Word Game 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?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...