chant

verb

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\ 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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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 Surrounded by dozens of former players and thousands of Indiana fans chanting ‘‘Bob-by, Bob-by,’’ the 79-year-old Knight finally returned to his home court in Saturday to a rousing welcome. — BostonGlobe.com, "Indiana gives Bob Knight a warm homecoming," 9 Feb. 2020 The crowd there chanted his name Sunday afternoon, just a few hours after Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in California. — Mike Finger, ExpressNews.com, "For Spurs and Bryant, rivalry was forged in respect," 26 Jan. 2020 England’s European Championship qualifier against Bulgaria was stopped twice in the first half due to home fans chanting racist abuse on Monday. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "England’s Euro qualifier in Bulgaria marred by racist abuse," 14 Oct. 2019 In early August, Twitter suspended a campaign account belonging to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after the account shared a video of protesters chanting outside the Republican lawmaker’s Louisville home. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, "St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s official Twitter account is back after several days’ suspension," 18 Sep. 2019 Thousands of fans, many wearing Bryant jerseys and chanting his name, gathered outside the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, home of the Lakers and site of Sunday's Grammy Awards, where Bryant was honored. — Stefanie Dazio, Anchorage Daily News, "Crews work to recover remains at site of helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and 8 others," 27 Jan. 2020 While ancient Germanic Pagans and Celtic Druids are on record as practicing human sacrifice, Pagan rituals today involve nothing more than chanting and meditation. — Leah Marilla Thomas, refinery29.com, "Here’s What CAOS Is Teaching Us About Pagans… & What Pagans Actually Did," 27 Jan. 2020 Modern-day bar mitzvah The bar mitzvah boy, however, was not expected to read from the Torah, chant the Prophetic portion associated with it, known as the Haftarah, or lead any part of the prayer service, as so many do today. — Jonathan D. Sarna, The Conversation, "What is a bar mitzvah?," 17 Jan. 2020 Campaign staff members escorted the man out as others in the crowd chanted Warren's name. — Emily Larsen, Washington Examiner, "'You're a fraud!': Protester screams at Elizabeth Warren for 'siding with Iran'," 10 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun In 2015, two students and Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity members were expelled for leading a racist chant. — Katie Reilly, Time, "A Professor Told His Students 'OK Boomer' Is as Offensive as the N-Word. His Employer Disagrees," 12 Feb. 2020 At the football game on Friday night, the 21 cheerleaders chant and dance energetically even as Bowie gets badly beaten by a rival team. — National Geographic, "This cheer squad is caught between two worlds—divided by a border," 30 Jan. 2020 Like chants or slogans, poems—especially when, like Grover’s, they are recited in rallies, together with the crowd—give people words to express their power, while speeches offer calls to action that can leave the audience on the receiving end. — Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, "“It’s almost like a cry for help”: An Indian poet gets at the heart of protests around the world," 30 Dec. 2019 Beautiful hymns and chants, evoking rousing piety, were then composed to glorify his butchery and butcherer. — Harish Pullanoor, Quartz India, "We, the permanent villains of Indian mythology, must reclaim our fallen icons," 30 Dec. 2019 Then came the angry mob of protestors, their footsteps and chants growing louder and getting closer. — Barnini Chakraborty, Fox News, "State Dept opens massive new training center, complete with fake town, burning simulator," 23 Dec. 2019 The staff greets you at the door with a welcome chant. — Dwight Brown, Essence, "Essence Eats: Feast on Toronto’s Multicultural Cuisine," 20 Dec. 2019 There are chalk drawings on the sidewalk and occasional chants for Walton’s release. — David Owens, courant.com, "Immigration protesters camp outside federal building in Hartford," 19 Oct. 2019 Newsreel footage shows that Trump did nothing to discourage these vicious, racist chants, just as Netanyahu stood silently as his supporters called for Rabin’s death. — Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Incitement': Film Review | TIFF 2019," 8 Sep. 2019

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.