chrome

1 of 3

noun

ˈkrōm 

1

a

: chromium

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

: chromize

-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

According to public records, the inspection also found that GKN used materials containing hexavalent chrome, a dangerous carcinogen; used coatings containing toxic air contaminants; and exceeded facility-wide volatile organic compound emissions. —Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 23 May 2026

Baby blue and buttermilk yellow get a cool, crisp spin from silver chrome accents. —Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 22 May 2026

In general, bright metals like chrome fit well into contemporary bathrooms, while woods and darker metals lend a more traditional or industrial feel. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 20 May 2026

To prevent this cabinet from becoming a clutter catchall, use the chrome label holders to stay organized. —Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 18 May 2026

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

Phrases Containing chrome

• chrome green
• chrome yellow

Rhymes for chrome

• brome
• chrome
• comb
• combe
• crome
• dome
• foam
• acrosome
• aerodrome
• catacomb
• centrosome
• chromosome

Kids Definition

chrome

noun

ˈkrōm

1

a

: chromium

b

: a chromium pigment

2

: something plated with an alloy of chromium

Medical Definition

chrome

noun

ˈkrōm 

1

: chromium

2

: a chromium pigment