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abracadabra

noun
ab·​ra·​ca·​dab·​ra | \ ˌa-brə-kə-ˈda-brə How to pronounce abracadabra (audio) \

Definition of abracadabra

1 : a magical charm or incantation
2 : unintelligible language
Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about abracadabra

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Examples of abracadabra in a Sentence

originally, an abracadabra was a cryptogram of the word “abracadabra” that was repeated in diminishing form until it disappeared entirely—supposedly just like the targeted evil or misfortune after some abracadabra the spiritualist announced that we had made contact with “the other side”

Recent Examples on the Web

 And that the shareholders will then subsequently spend that money buying things—a new car, a new refrigerator, perhaps—and abracadabra, the economy will be set on fire for the first time in more than a decade. — William D. Cohan, The Hive, "The Republican Tax Plan Is a Recession Waiting to Happen," 13 Dec. 2017 Take Loren Brichter, the designer who created pull-to-refresh (the downward abracadabra swipe that prompts new app content to load). — Catherine Cusick, Longreads, "Immature Architects Built the Attention Economy," 11 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abracadabra.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of abracadabra

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for abracadabra

borrowed from Late Latin, of obscure origin

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More Definitions for abracadabra

abracadabra

noun
ab·​ra·​ca·​dab·​ra | \ ˌa-brə-kə-ˈda-brə How to pronounce abracadabra (audio) \

Kids Definition of abracadabra

: a magical charm or word

More from Merriam-Webster on abracadabra

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for abracadabra

Nglish: Translation of abracadabra for Spanish Speakers

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