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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Fists clenched at their sides, chanting in Russian, in rhythm, words from Riot Days, the book by Maria ‘Masha’ Alyokhina. Heather Augustyn, SPIN, 29 Nov. 2023 For The San Diego Union-Tribune) There will be one prayer service on Saturdays and one traditional church service held on Sunday mornings, during which there will be no musical instruments used as the church’s hymns are chanted A Capella. Lauren J. Mapp, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Nov. 2023 Last week, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, Biden and Harris attended a Democratic National Committee fundraiser while hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters opposed to the Israel-Hamas war chanted outside the the Merchants Exchange Building. Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 Meanwhile, their Bunnies fans chanted along to the song. Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2023 Since fleeing Syria a decade ago, Wafa Mustafa has spoken out for political prisoners at the United Nations, held vigils outside war crimes trials and chanted in solidarity with Iranians protesting their authoritarian government. Erika Solomon, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023 Families cluster around great stone bowls, burning incense and chanting prayers. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 9 Nov. 2023 With a big smile on her face, Nicki Nicole started chanting his name and the crowd joined in. Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 4 Nov. 2023 The celebratory tour made its next stop in a corner of the stadium overflowing with jubilant Bruins fans who chanted a vulgar two-word sendoff for fellow rivals headed to the Big Ten. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
Noun
In case their chants can’t be heard over the noise of passing traffic, the demonstrators have also printed their message onto a banner. WIRED, 20 Nov. 2023 Rollins paused before saying who this match was going to be against, and there were only light chants of CM Punk. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2023 House Republicans are planning a censure vote against Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., for using and defending the chant. Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 8 Nov. 2023 With commentators on the mic keeping the energy high while the crowd screamed house chants, the moment was electric. Mikelle Street, Essence, 14 Nov. 2023 The sick, inflammatory and, in some cases, clearly criminal chants, placards and paraphernalia openly on display at the march mark a new low. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Nov. 2023 As the vote approaches, Curry has crisscrossed the state, hosting campus events, organizing students to scribble chalk slogans on sidewalks and wielding a bullhorn to lead chants at rallies. Annie Gowen, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2023 Picket lines are best known for chants and slogans. Helen Li, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023 Soon after that celebration faded, the crowd sent up a chant punctuated by claps. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Oct. 2023 See More

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 8 Dec. 2023.

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

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