chrome

1 of 3

noun

1
a
b
: a chromium pigment
2
: something plated with an alloy of chromium

chrome

2 of 3

verb

chromed; chroming

transitive verb

1
: to treat with a compound of chromium (as in dyeing)
2

-chrome

3 of 3

noun combining form or adjective combining form

ˌkrōm
1
: colored thing
heliochrome
2
: coloring matter
urochrome

Examples of chrome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Her chrome design, styled with Jimmy Choo shoes, also featured a knotted asymmetrical halter-neckline and floor-sweeping cape. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Most impressively, her last look — a chrome suit of armor from Mugler’s Fall Winter 1995 couture collection — reportedly generated $13.3 million in media exposure after wearing the piece to the Dune: Part Two premiere in London. Lindzi Scharf, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 In 2015, the argyle stayed with the third kit, this time with an all-white kit that featured a chrome argyle pattern. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2024 For example, Selena Gomez wore a cherry cola lip and matching black cherry chrome manicure to the Emmy Awards, and Kate Hudson recently wore an out-of-character deep red lip. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 25 Jan. 2024 At Home Depot, a Moen pressure-balancing valve with a chrome handle and trim is $172.07. Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2024 The effervescent hue is broken up only by a black hood and chrome trim, as well as the lower carbon-fiber sections which have been painted silver after having been left exposed on the first two cars in the series. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 29 Feb. 2024 And, of course, the popular chrome manicure isn’t going anywhere. Annie Blay, Allure, 20 Feb. 2024 Though prone to showing fingerprints and smudges, chrome elements add a touch of elegance, dancing across the dashboard and center console and extending to the doors. Kyle Edward, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Verb
The colors: officially chrome and azul, but with a logo that also includes splashes of yellow, orange and red that allows for multiple uniform combinations in the modern era where clubs have several different jerseys. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2023 The car, which appeared in episode seven of The Last Dance, is finished in metallic dark blue and features custom exterior work, including a wide-body kit and chrome monobloc wheels, by Lorinser. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 25 July 2023 In 1976, West magazine commissioned her to construct a facsimile home from junked car parts, replete with a hood roof and chrome windows made of fenders. Evan Moffitt, New York Times, 30 June 2023 In the first couple of films (his five-film run suffered from wildly diminishing returns), there was a certain sensory satisfaction in all that was shiny and chrome, the clicks and whirs of metallic pieces sliding into place with an almost ASMR-like tingle. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2023 Finishes Touchless kitchen faucets come in a variety of finishes, ranging from stainless steel to chrome to matte black to champagne bronze. Rachel Simon, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 May 2023 From sparkly cowboy hats to chrome stomping boots, here’s your complete guide to what to wear to Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour based off of Beyoncé's exact tour outfits. Seventeen, 13 May 2023 Car detailers, however, would have to quit using it by 2027, even though chroming cars accounts for 0.4% of all hexavalent chromium emissions in the state. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2023 First-floor powder rooms have pedestal sinks and chrome faucets. Benjamin C Tankersley, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chrome.' 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

Noun

borrowed from French chrôme, borrowed from Greek chrôma "color" — more at -chrome

Note: Name introduced by the French chemist Louis Nicolas Vauquelin (1763-1829) in "Du plomb rouge de Sibérie, et expériences sur le nouveau métal qu'il contient," Journal des mines, Messidor, An V [vol. 6, June-July, 1797], pp. 737-60. Vauquelin notes that a word meaning "color"—originally suggested to him by the mineralogist René-Just Haüy—is fitting for the metal not because it has a distinctive color itself, but because the combinations into which it enters with oxygen (as a green oxide and red acid) are remarkable for their colors.

Verb

derivative of chrome entry 1

Noun combining form or adjective combining form

borrowed from Greek -chrōmos "having a color (of the kind specified by the initial element)," adjective derivative of chrōmat-, chrôma "skin, complexion, color," from chrō- (the base of an s-stem *chrowos-, whence chrṓs "surface of the body, skin, flesh, complexion, color," of obscure origin) + -ma, resultative noun suffix

Note: The form *chrowos- is reconstructed on the basis of Mycenaean a-ko-ro-we-e "without spots" (or "of one color"). While chrṓs can be contracted directly from a nominative *chrowṓs, the Homeric accusative chróa, genitive chroós assume *chrowós-a, *chrowos-ós, with hyphaeresis of the second vowel of the stem.

First Known Use

Noun

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chrome was in 1800

Dictionary Entries Near chrome

Cite this Entry

“Chrome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chrome. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chrome

noun
ˈkrōm
1
a
b
: a chromium pigment
2
: something plated with an alloy of chromium

Medical Definition

chrome

noun
1
2
: a chromium pigment

More from Merriam-Webster on chrome

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