cord

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a long slender flexible material usually consisting of several strands (as of thread or yarn) woven or twisted together
b
: the hangman's rope
2
: a moral, spiritual, or emotional bond
3
a
: an anatomical structure (such as a nerve or tendon) resembling a cord
b
: a small flexible insulated electrical cable having a plug at one or both ends used to connect a lamp or other appliance with a receptacle
4
: a unit of wood cut for fuel equal to a stack 4 x 4 x 8 feet or 128 cubic feet
5
a
: a rib like a cord on a textile
b(1)
: a fabric made with such ribs or a garment made of such a fabric
(2)
cords plural : trousers made of such a fabric

cord

2 of 2

verb

corded; cording; cords

transitive verb

1
: to furnish, bind, or connect with a cord
2
: to pile up (wood) in cords
corder noun

Examples of cord in a Sentence

Noun She wore the key on a cord around her neck. They used cords to tie the tent to the trees.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The merchandise booth featured everything from DARE-style iron-on patches to hipster hats with cords. Kylie Robison, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 She was found strangled to death with an electrical cord and with signs she had been beaten. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 15 Mar. 2024 The wireless connectivity also sets a new standard, eliminating the clutter of cords and cables. Stack Commerce, Popular Science, 14 Mar. 2024 Cons The power cord must be carefully aligned within the base, otherwise the fan is very wobbly. Camryn Rabideau, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 This mulcher also comes with an elastic cord to hold leaf bags in place. Rachel Ahrnsen, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Feb. 2024 Not with phones without cords attached, but bonafide telephones, hooked into the wall with the receiver attached, by a cord, to the base of the phone. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 Other expanding options include adjustable side seam panels, belts, or interior cords at the waist. Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 23 Feb. 2024 The 11-foot swivel cord allows for use anywhere, like standing in the bathroom while peeking outside the door to check on your 4-year-old, speaking from personal experience. Katrina Cossey, Parents, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
While this vacuum is corded, the 15-foot cord reaches an entire room easily, and the 0.71-quart cup empties with the push of a button—there’s no bag to deal with. Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024 Do note that this electric option does need to be plugged into a power source as it is corded. Jack Byram, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Jan. 2024 Some electric snow blowers are corded, some cordless. Ben Romans, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024 The Worx corded electric stationary mulcher runs off a 13 amp, 2 horsepower motor that’s capable of chewing through up to 53 gallons of leaves per minute with an impressive 11:1 mulching ratio. Tony Carrick, Popular Mechanics, 1 Sep. 2023 The vacuums are not completely virtuous, as Mr. MacMillan pointed out, because of Dyson’s use of lithium-ion batteries and its two-year warranty for cordless vacuums (corded vacuums have a five-year warranty). Wilson Wong, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023 When To Begin Planning Cord Blood Banking How much does cord blood banking cost? Parents Editors, Parents, 12 Nov. 2023 With 72 tweezers—the most of any device on this list—arrayed over a series of discs, this corded, 5.4-ounce epilator aims to pluck the most hair possible per pass. Abbie Kozolchyk, wsj.com, 17 Oct. 2023 Advertisers for years have been interested in promoting their brands to cord cutters and younger audiences on Netflix, which in the past had been averse to ads. Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2023

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

Middle English cord, corde, borrowed from Anglo-French corde "string, rope," going back to Latin chorda, corda "tripe, string of a musical instrument," borrowed from Greek khordḗ "catgut, string of a musical instrument, sausage," in plural "guts, tripe" — more at yarn entry 1

Verb

Middle English corden "to string a bow," in part derivative of cord, corde cord entry 1, in part borrowed from Anglo-French corder "to tie with a cord"

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near cord

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

cord

1 of 2 noun
1
: material like a small thin rope that is used mostly for tying things
2
: a bodily structure (as a tendon or nerve) resembling a cord
especially : umbilical cord
3
: a small flexible insulated electrical cable with a plug at one or both ends used for connecting an appliance to an outlet
4
: an amount of firewood equal to a pile of wood 4 × 4 × 8 feet or 128 cubic feet (about 3.6 cubic meters)
5
a
: a rib like a cord on a fabric
b
: a fabric with such ribs

cord

2 of 2 verb
1
: to supply, bind, or connect with a cord
2
: to pile up wood in cords

Medical Definition

cord

noun
1
: a long slender flexible material usually consisting of several strands (as of thread or yarn) woven or twisted together
2
: a slender flexible anatomical structure (as a nerve) see spermatic cord, spinal cord, umbilical cord, vocal cord sense 1

More from Merriam-Webster on cord

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