To fascinate means to capture someone's complete attention in a way that makes them unable to look away or stop thinking about something. When you're fascinated, you're so interested and curious that everything else fades into the background.

A documentary about deep-sea creatures might fascinate you so much that you forget about dinner. A magic trick can fascinate an audience, making them lean forward and watch every tiny movement of the magician's hands. Scientists are often fascinated by mysteries they don't yet understand, like how birds navigate thousands of miles to the same spot each year.

The word suggests a powerful pull on your attention. Something that fascinates you grabs hold of your mind and won't let go. You might find a book interesting enough to finish, but a fascinating book keeps you reading under the covers with a flashlight long after bedtime. When your friend tells a fascinating story, you hang on every word.

People, places, and ideas can all be fascinating. You might be fascinated by how computers work, fascinated by ancient Egypt, or fascinated by a new student who just moved from another country. The state of being fascinated is called fascination, that feeling when curiosity and wonder combine to make you forget about time passing.