verb

mitreißen

captivate

Mitreißen has both literal and figurative meanings:

To carry or pull someone or something along, often suddenly or forcefully.
The current swept the swimmer away.
To captivate, excite, or inspire someone, making them feel strong enthusiasm or emotion.
The performance swept the audience along.
To draw someone into an activity or situation, sometimes against their better judgment.
He got carried away and joined in.

Mitreißen is a separable-prefix verb: in a main clause, the prefix mit moves to the end. It is usually transitive and takes a direct object.

The construction sich von etwas mitreißen lassen means “to let oneself be carried away by something.”

Synonyms vary by meaning:

fortreißen — to carry or drag away; emphasizes forceful movement more than mitreißen.
begeistern — to enthuse or inspire; focuses on creating enthusiasm, not on the sense of being swept along.
fesseln — to captivate or hold someone’s attention; usually less emotional or energetic than the figurative sense of mitreißen.

Possible antonyms depend on the context:

zurückhalten — to hold back or restrain; an opposite when mitreißen means pulling or drawing someone along.
bremsen — to slow down or curb; an opposite when mitreißen means energizing or spurring someone on.
langweilen — to bore; an opposite when mitreißen means captivating or exciting.

jemanden mitreißen — to sweep someone along or captivate them
von der Begeisterung mitgerissen werden — to be swept along by the enthusiasm
sich von etwas mitreißen lassen — to let oneself get carried away by something
eine mitreißende Rede — a stirring or captivating speech

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Die Musik kann die Menschen mitreißen.verb

The music can captivate people.

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