ENGLISH
REFERENCE

trance

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈtɹæns// UK //tɹˈɑːns// trance Archaic Dialect Vulgar

n. a state where you are awake but not fully aware of what is happening around you. It often feels like being in a deep dream or being very focused on one thing.

n. a state of altered consciousness characterised by reduced awareness of external stimuli and heightened internal focus. Often associated with hypnosis, meditation, or deep concentration.


SIMPLE

The music was so repetitive that it put the crowd into a trance.

CONTEXTUAL

The hypnotist spoke in a low, rhythmic voice until the volunteer fell into a deep trance.

COMPLEX

Deeply absorbed in her research, she remained in a scholarly trance for hours, completely oblivious to the ticking clock or the fading light in the library.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English traunce, from Anglo-Norman transe (“fear of coming evil; passage from life to death”), from transir (“to be numb with fear; to die, pass on”), from Latin trānseō (“to cross over”).

Etymology 2

The verb is derived from Middle English traunce, trauncen, trancen (“to move about (?); to prance (?); to trample the ground”) (whence modern English trounce with the same senses, which see for more). The noun is probably derived from the verb.

Usage

Commonly used with the verbs 'fall into', 'go into', or 'be in'.

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