chant

verb

\ˈchant

chanted; chanting; chants

Definition of chant

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

noun

Definition of chant (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : song sense 1

2a : plainsong

b : a rhythmic monotonous utterance or song

c : a composition for chanting

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about chant

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Synonyms for chant

Synonyms: Verb

carol, descant, sing, vocalize

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

And in 2014, as goal after agonizing Germany goal bulged the Brazil net in Belo Horizonte, the fans started to chant a graphic and crude insult at Dilma Rousseff, the unpopular former president. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "'Brazil's Donald Trump': World Cup fate impacts far-right presidential candidate," 6 July 2018 The franchise was formally awarded by MLS in January at a carnival-like gathering in downtown Miami while confetti rained down and soccer enthusiasts chanted and cheered. — Craig Davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "David Beckham, Jorge Mas encounter opposition in latest bid for Miami MLS stadium," 13 July 2018 First the young pit crew then the engineers and executives began hugging each other, chanting and jumping up and down like ebullient soccer fans. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "Volkswagen’s All-Electric Effort to Climb Out of Its P.R. Hole," 4 July 2018 While European politicians bickered about where the migrants should go, those rescued by the Open Arms were jubilant, jumping, chanting, and hugging their rescuers. — Renata Brito, BostonGlobe.com, "Spanish boat saves 60 migrants, but Italy locks its ports," 30 June 2018 After the explosion the state broadcaster quickly cut away from coverage of the rally, which broke up with people singing, chanting, and going back to their homes. — Elias Meseret, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Love always wins:' Ethiopian PM responds to assassination attempt," 25 June 2018 CBS Pittsburgh reports that hundreds of people spent the evening marching, chanting and calling for justice at two separate demonstrations -- one that shut down the Homestead Grays Bridge and the other in Downtown Pittsburgh and North Side. — CBS News, "4 arrested amid protests over fatal police shooting of Antwon Rose Jr.," 23 June 2018 Anxious fans chanted Slayer’s name and cheered at every hint of its arrival during the line check. — Courtney Devores, charlotteobserver, "More an event than an everyday concert, Slayer’s Final Tour roars through Charlotte," 18 June 2018 Around 100 people gathered at the Capitol's entrance Monday afternoon, chanting and protesting the two-person limit. — Tom Loftus, The Courier-Journal, "Anti-poverty activists stopped from entering Kentucky Capitol again," 11 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Croatian soccer has been long linked with far-right factors, and the country has faced previous punishment for some fans’ recurring habit of making monkey chants at black opposition players during games. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "Croatian soccer finds itself involved in another two-faced controversy," 9 July 2018 The chants could be heard as soon as the bus door opened. — Brian Goldstone, The New Republic, "Essential reporting, interpretation, and opinion on politics and culture. Don't miss our latest.," 26 June 2018 Concacaf, the regional confederation of which Mexico is a member, rolled out its own anti-discrimination plan last year, but a day later the chant was heard loud and clear at a Mexico game in Denver. — Andrew Das, New York Times, "Fined by FIFA, Mexico Tries, Again, to Banish a Homophobic Chant by Its Fans," 21 June 2018 The chant was also heard during Mexico’s games in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but FIFA took no action. — Chris Irvine, Fox News, "Mexico star pleads with fans to stop chanting homophobic slur during World Cup games," 21 June 2018 Manchester United star Paul Pogba was one of the players subject to monkey chants, according to the Associated Press. — Hilary Mcgann, CNN, "Russia 2018: LGBT members face 'significant risk' at World Cup, UK Foreign Office warns," 8 June 2018 A few Eagles chants could be heard after the ceremony, but didn't appear to be a particularly raucous Eagles crowd Spoke to some fans who were invited guests who were disappointed in the Eagles. — Katie Mcinerney, Philly.com, "Trump, White House celebrate without the Eagles; Philly fans hold rally," 5 June 2018 Victims included players from the French national team, who were targeted with monkey chants during a game against Russia in March, and Liverpool youth player Bobby Adekanye, who was racially abused by Spartak Moscow supporters. — NBC News, "Anti-gay, racist chants on rise in Russia ahead of World Cup," 30 May 2018 The chant could be heard during national broadcasts throughout UCF’s undefeated 2017 season, including ahead of the Knights’ big Peach Bowl win over Auburn. — Iliana Limón Romero, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UCF fans take issue with Las Vegas Golden Knights' national anthem twist," 29 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.