chord

1 of 3

noun (1)

: three or more musical tones sounded simultaneously

chord

2 of 3

verb

chorded; chording; chords

intransitive verb

1
: accord
2
: to play chords especially on a stringed instrument

transitive verb

1
: to make chords on
2

chord

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
2
: a straight line segment joining and included between two points on a circle
broadly : a straight line joining two points on a curve
3
: an individual emotion or disposition
struck a responsive chord
4
: either of the two outside members of a truss connected and braced by the web members
5
: the straight line distance joining the leading and trailing edges of an airfoil

Examples of chord in a Sentence

Verb the revised system chords perfectly with the original goals
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Editor’s picks Even more frustrating is the show’s struggle to achieve the balance of absurdity and pathos that made satires like Strangelove strike such a chord back in the Sixties. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024 People with perfect pitch can instantly identify each note or chord played without the benefit of a reference note. John Blake, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024 Set in a classroom outside Tehran where four people are studying for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam, the play brims with dramatic tension and strikes emotional chords in subtle and surprising ways. David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2024 Real connection holds intrinsic value, striking a chord much deeper than what our digital devices offer. Curt Steinhorst, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 Sure enough, the taco was extra warm and yielding, and the flavors—the flour and the char, the faint and sweet minerality of the potato, the spice and fat of the chorizo—all blurred together, a perfect harmonic chord. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2024 But among the parents of students in Camila’s second-grade class and many others, the fund-raiser struck a chord. Jay Root Victor J. Blue, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2024 Youssef’s words struck a chord, as the Israel-Hamas War is a lightning rod in Hollywood. Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2024 This film's genuine portrayal of high school awkwardness, paired with its iconic tunes, cements its status as a perennial pop culture gem that still strikes a chord today. Travis Bean, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
Verb
With the brand new Mike McCready Stratocaster, the artist now has a guitar designed to his specifics, including a custom pickup set to sound like his 1960 Stratocaster, a six-point tremolo, and a fingerboard radius that has enough arc for chording and easier note bending. Daniel Kohn, Spin, 12 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chord.' 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 (1)

alteration of Middle English cord, short for accord

Noun (2)

alteration of cord entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1608, in the meaning defined above

Verb

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

Noun (2)

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near chord

Cite this Entry

“Chord.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chord. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chord

1 of 3 noun
: a group of three or more tones sounded together to form harmony
chordal
-əl
adjective

chord

2 of 3 verb
: to play chords

chord

3 of 3 noun
: a straight line between two points on a curve

Medical Definition

chord

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on chord

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!