trances

plural of trance
as in reveries
the state of being lost in thought lulled by the sound of the train, she stared out the window in a trance, oblivious to the fact that the conductor was taking tickets

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 trances Unlike in Cutud, participants are mostly female faith healers adhering not to vows but to mystic trances and possession. H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 10 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trances
Noun
  • Her adultery story initially evokes the imprisoned girl’s compensatory reveries, but over time its focus shifts.
    Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Track six, on the other hand, recalls the plangent reveries of ’90s IDM artists like Arovane.
    Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 July 2026
Noun
  • And amidst the momentum of reverie, there’s the line ‘Blink at the light and hope to survive,’ because daydreams in a fascist state can be scary too.
    Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 June 2026
  • One-touch passing, feinting and ripping hard shots into a tattered net, each is super-charged by vivid daydreams of glory on the international stage.
    Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2026
Noun
  • Pooled records can expose drug side effects, track outbreaks and reveal disparities in care that smaller studies miss.
    Jennifer D. Oliva, The Conversation, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The studies drawing on medical records of men who were prescribed these drugs, primarily for erectile dysfunction, have shown sizable effects.
    Will Stone, NPR, 17 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Her final film Sleepwalker, a psychological thriller about a mother who has fightening visions after losing her daughter in a car accident, was released in January.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Education is expected to be a central issue in those races, with candidates offering competing visions for improving student outcomes and strengthening public schools.
    Jason Burns, The Conversation, 17 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The store also hosts meditations, sound baths, tarot readings and massages to help bring mind and body into balance.
    Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Encounters with shifting coastlines, towering redwoods, and mycelial networks spark meditations on inheritance, resilience, and the work of remaking a life.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • May talked about her gender but also what sounded like contemplations of self-harm.
    Jo Yurcaba, NBC news, 18 July 2026
  • Selzer’s contemplations bring together literature, history, philosophy, medicine, and ruminations.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
Noun
  • Apart from the condition in the bottles, the liquid in them is the stuff of collectors’ wildest dreams.
    Tony Sachs, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • With her big dreams and determination, Shyniyah hopes to one day become the President of the United States.
    The Star, Kansas City Star, 15 Aug. 2026

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“Trances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trances. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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