chant

1 of 2

verb

chanted; chanting; chants

intransitive verb

1
: to make melodic sounds with the voice
especially : to sing a chant
2
: to recite something in a monotonous repetitive tone
protesters were chanting outside

transitive verb

1
: to utter as in chanting
2
: to celebrate or praise in song or chant

chant

2 of 2

noun

1
2
a
b
: a rhythmic monotonous utterance or song
c
: a composition for chanting

Examples of chant in a Sentence

Verb The crowd began chanting her name. They chanted “Sara, Sara” until she came back on stage. Protesters were chanting outside the governor's home. They were chanting in Arabic. Priests chanted the Catholic Mass in Latin. Noun Our chant was “Peace now, peace now!”. Chant is often used as a form of meditation and prayer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
At the bill’s first reading two weeks ago, Mr. Fatty bused in a group of young women to chant pro-cutting slogans outside Parliament. Ruth MacLean, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024 Some chanted toward Lexington Rabbi Shlomo Litzin, who was waiting to speak against the resolution and was sitting near the exit. Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 15 Mar. 2024 Even before the Puerto Rican star set foot on the stage, the crowd was already chanting her name. Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 There was heavy security in place and some in the crowd chanted his name or anti-Putin slogans. Darya Tarasova and Amy Cassidy, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 With a deep orange sunset as the backdrop, George and the Osage Singers engaged in drum pounding and chanting as dancers in traditional clothing circled them and a ring of female singers. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024 The chanting elicited anger from some Jewish non-participants in attendance, including Tom Levy, a UC San Diego anthropologist who does a lot of field research in Israel. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 Video Ad Feedback Haitian farmworkers chant frustrations with prime minister 00:18 - Source: CNN CNN’s Leinz Vales and Sean Walker contributed reporting. Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 During the first week of the trial, dozens gathered in the cold, chanting through bullhorns and marching with Honduran flags and homemade signs denouncing Mr. Hernández. Wesley Parnell, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024
Noun
Through some combination of reverence and laziness, American soccer has borrowed many of its chants from the British. Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2024 Late in the third quarter Saturday, a chant began to flow from the Galen Center stands. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024 Among other duties, cheer masters write fight songs and chants, and shout them during games, even when their teams are losing badly. John Yoon Jun Michael Park Shawn Paik, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 But if their chants don't achieve world peace, Reum and Arft agree that the circle gives a sense of community at the end of the day, drawing people to come outside, join with their neighbors, and experience new things. Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024 The video ended with the actor performing another inspiring chant with the students. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 Paired with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock — the famed Black Hippy quartet at the center of Top Dawg Entertainment — Schoolboy Q has long seemed like the hooded thug quietly nursing a brew in the corner of the room, only to startle his friends with an energetic, hair-raising party chant. Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024 Last month, Kyle Buchanan was seated at a table at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., when, midway through the ceremony, a chant erupted outside. Josh Ocampo, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 On Sunday, the chants continued, as thousands of crew workers gathered for a Los Angeles rally ahead of Monday’s bargaining talks with Hollywood studios and streamers, the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English chaunten, from Anglo-French chanter, from Latin cantare, frequentative of canere to sing; akin to Old English hana rooster, Old Irish canid he sings

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of chant was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near chant

Cite this Entry

“Chant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chant. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chant

1 of 2 verb
1
: to sing especially in the way a chant is sung
2
: to recite or speak with no change in tone
chanter noun

chant

2 of 2 noun
1
: a melody in which several words or syllables are sung in one tone
2
: something spoken in the style of a chant
Etymology

Verb

Middle English chaunten "to chant," from early French chanter (same meaning), derived from Latin canere "to sing" — related to cant entry 3, cantata, chantey, charm

More from Merriam-Webster on chant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!