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
The powder room on the main level has a single-sink vanity with a white cultured marble counter, a white cabinet and a chrome Moen faucet. Benjamin C Tankersley, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023 Fans dressed in extravagant outfits — usually featuring cowboy hats and chrome — every night, leaving Tina impressed. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 1 Nov. 2023 It’s accented by flashes of Mandarin on the inserts below the darkened chrome grille and the brake calipers. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 13 Oct. 2023 The hue is broken up only by the car’s badging, which is now finished in matte white gold as opposed to the chrome found on the other versions of the car. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 8 Nov. 2023 This sleek, chrome frother is made to simplify your brewing experience and bring your favorite coffee shop home. Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 16 Oct. 2023 The bed is flanked by two nightstands, which combine chrome and oak with a marble top. Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2023 This bright, eye-catching jacket has a stunning chrome exterior. Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 23 Oct. 2023 Leather accents and chrome zippers add a touch of sophistication, perfectly suited to wheeling through the lobby of a business hotel or into a meeting right after a flight. Ashlea Halpern, wsj.com, 21 Oct. 2023
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 See More

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 1 Dec. 2023.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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