noun

seance

SAY-ahnss

Quiz me More like this

Seance (noun) means a meeting at which people attempt to make contact with the spirits of the dead, usually led by a medium and often held around a table in a darkened room. Example: “They held a seance in the old house on the anniversary of his death.”

noun

A meeting at which people attempt to make contact with the spirits of the dead, usually led by a medium and often held around a table in a darkened room.

"They held a seance in the old house on the anniversary of his death."

"At the seance the medium claimed to hear a child's voice."

formal, rare A formal sitting or session of an organised body, such as a council or learned society.

"The academy's annual seance was recorded in its published proceedings."

How to use seance

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA meeting where people try to talk to the dead.

When to use it

Neutral and everyday when describing the practice; the accented spelling séance looks slightly more formal or literary.

Memory tip

The verb that goes with it is hold or conduct, not do: you hold a seance.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

séance → science → soiree →

Common pairings

hold a seance conduct a seance during the seance a seance table

Vocabulary Flow

Build your vocabulary from words like seance.

Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.

Start vocabulary practice

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

Test yourself on “seance” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

They held a _____ in the old house on the anniversary of his death.

Etymology

From French séance, 'a sitting or session', from seoir 'to sit', which goes back to Latin sedere 'to sit'.

Origin: French

Synonyms

View more →

sitting circle channelling session session

Related words

set club meeting round network band sitting ring

Rhymes for seance

lance dance Nance chance nuance trance stance glance balance advance finance enhance

See all rhymes for seance →

Frequently asked questions

What actually happens at a seance?

Participants sit together, usually in low light, while a medium tries to open communication with the dead. Contact is said to come through rapping sounds, moving objects, automatic writing, a Ouija board or the medium speaking in another voice. There is no scientific evidence that any of this contacts the deceased, and many famous seance effects have been exposed as conjuring tricks.

Is a seance the same as a Ouija board session?

Not quite. A seance is the whole gathering, which may or may not use any equipment. A Ouija board is one tool sometimes used within a seance, and people also use it casually on their own without any medium present.

How do you spell and pronounce seance?

It is spelled seance, or séance with the French acute accent, which many publishers still keep. It is pronounced SAY-ahnss, with two syllables.

What is the meaning of seance?

"seance" (noun) means a meeting at which people attempt to make contact with the spirits of the dead, usually led by a medium and often held around a table in a darkened room.

People also searched

set club meeting round network band sitting ring