transfix
gb/tɹænsfˈɪks/ us/tɹænsfˈɪks/
C1
Anglais
megbénít, megbabonáz, átdöf, átüt
VERBE
C1
FORMAL
1
megbénít
B2
megbabonáz
B2
Schéma d’usage :
[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.
Exemples pédagogiques
I was transfixed by the movie.
Teljesen megbabonázott a film.
He stood transfixed with fear.
Ott állt, a félelemtől mozdulatlanná dermedve.
Erreur fréquente :
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”).
Sens
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
Synonymes
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.)
Antonymes
distract (Pulls attention away instead of fixing it intensely.)
|
bore (Fails to engage attention; can make someone lose interest.)
Thèmes
emotions
|attention
|communication
Définition
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.
VERBE
C2
LITERARY
2
Schéma d’usage :
[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.
Exemples pédagogiques
The spear transfixed the shield.
A lándzsa átütötte a pajzsot.
Erreur fréquente :
This sense is uncommon in everyday conversation; in neutral writing, “pierce” or “impale” is usually more natural.
Sens
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
Synonymes
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.)
Thèmes
violence
|injury
|tools
Définition
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.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
transfix
API
GB/tɹænsfˈɪks/
US/tɹænsfˈɪks/
Syllabes et accentuation
trans - fix (2 syllabes)
Stress on 2nd syllable (fix)
Formes du mot
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.
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- 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.
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- 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.
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- She transfixed him with a stare.