transfix
gb/tɹænsfˈɪks/ us/tɹænsfˈɪks/
C1
English
megbénít, megbabonáz, átdöf, átüt
VERB
C1
FORMAL
1
megbénít
B2
megbabonáz
B2
Usage pattern:
[something] transfixes [someone]; [someone] is transfixed by/with [something]
She was transfixed by the sudden silence in the crowd.
Teljesen megbénította a tömegben hirtelen beálló csend.
I stood transfixed as the car slid across the icy road.
Megdöbbenve, mozdulatlanul álltam, ahogy az autó végigcsúszott a jeges úton.
The magician’s final reveal transfixed the entire audience.
Learner examples
I was transfixed by the movie.
Teljesen megbabonázott a film.
He stood transfixed with fear.
Ott állt, a félelemtől mozdulatlanná dermedve.
Common mistake:
Learners often use it as a general synonym of “interest”; it usually suggests a stronger effect (you freeze or can’t look away) and is most common in the passive (“was transfixed”).
Meaning
make someone unable to move
Collocations
be transfixed by
|be transfixed with
|stand transfixed
|sit transfixed
|watch transfixed
|leave someone transfixed
|transfixed with fear
|transfixed with horror
|transfixed with awe
|transfixed by the sight
Synonyms
mesmerize (Emphasizes hypnotic fascination more than freezing in place.)
|
stun (Often suggests shock; not necessarily sustained attention.)
|
captivate (Highlights attraction and interest, with less emphasis on immobility.)
|
fascinate (More general; weaker than transfix.)
Antonyms
distract (Pulls attention away instead of fixing it intensely.)
|
bore (Fails to engage attention; can make someone lose interest.)
Themes
emotions
|attention
|communication
Definition
If something transfixes you, it makes you stop moving because you feel shock, fear, or strong interest.
To hold someone’s attention so strongly—through shock, fear, awe, or fascination—that they become motionless or unable to look away.
VERB
C2
LITERARY
2
Usage pattern:
[something sharp] transfixes [someone/something]
The arrow transfixed the wooden door and quivered there.
A nyílvessző átütötte a faajtót, és ott remegett.
In the legend, the knight transfixed the dragon with a spear.
A legendában a lovag lándzsával átdöfte a sárkányt.
A shard of metal had transfixed the tire.
Learner examples
The spear transfixed the shield.
A lándzsa átütötte a pajzsot.
Common mistake:
This sense is uncommon in everyday conversation; in neutral writing, “pierce” or “impale” is usually more natural.
Meaning
pierce through with something sharp
Collocations
transfix with a sword
|transfix with a spear
|be transfixed by an arrow
|transfix the heart
|transfix the body
|transfix the enemy
|transfix the target
Synonyms
impale (Stronger and more explicitly violent; often suggests being stuck on the point.)
|
pierce (More general; may not imply going fully through.)
|
skewer (More informal and vivid; often used for food or figurative attacks.)
Themes
violence
|injury
|tools
Definition
To transfix something is to push a sharp thing through it.
To pierce through something or someone with a sharp point, so that the object passes into or through it.
Grammar
Dictionary form
transfix
IPA
GB/tɹænsfˈɪks/
US/tɹænsfˈɪks/
Syllables & stress
trans - fix (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (fix)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: transfix
- 3rd Person Singular: transfixes
- Present Participle: transfixing
- Past: transfixed
Expressions
be transfixed by
1/bˈi tɹænsfˈɪkst bˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
formal
be unable to look away
To be so interested or shocked that you stop moving.
Examples
- The children were transfixed by the storyteller’s voice.
- I was transfixed by the headline and read the article twice.
- She was transfixed by the dancer’s precision.
Learner examples
- He was transfixed by the sound.
stand transfixed
1/stˈænd tɹænsfˈɪkst/
fixed phrase
formal
stand frozen, unable to move
To stand still because you are shocked or amazed.
Examples
- He stood transfixed, staring at the flames.
- We stood transfixed by the view from the cliff.
- She stood transfixed with fear when she heard the crash.
Learner examples
- I stood transfixed for a moment.
transfix someone with a stare
1/tɹænsfˈɪks sˈʌmwˌʌn wˈɪθ ə stˈɛɹ/
fixed phrase
formal
hold someone with a fixed look
To look at someone so strongly that they freeze.
Examples
- She transfixed him with a stare until he stopped talking.
- The teacher transfixed the class with a long, silent stare.
- He tried to laugh, but her stare transfixed him.
Learner examples
- She transfixed him with a stare.