chrome

1 of 3

noun

ˈkrōm

: chromium

: a chromium pigment

: something plated with an alloy of chromium

chrome

2 of 3

verb

chromed; chroming

transitive verb

: to treat with a compound of chromium (as in dyeing)

: chromize

-chrome

3 of 3

noun combining form or adjective combining form

ˌkrōm

: colored thing

heliochrome

: coloring matter

urochrome

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Emmylou Harris once said Ms. Williams could sing the chrome off a tailpipe. —

Penelope Green, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2023 Megan Cencula Megan Cencula The chrome trend that took off in 2022 shines on in a more subtle way. —

Annie Blay, Allure, 29 Mar. 2023 Bathrooms tend to have a certain look or feel to them, from the stone counters to the tiled walls and chrome fixtures. —

Helena Madden, ELLE Decor, 12 Jan. 2023 At the beginning of the season, character Paradigm escaped the spreading chrome and made her way to Reality 659 via the Zero Point, the source of much of the game story’s reality-hopping drama. —

Riley Macleod, Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2022 The cozy main salon features Art Deco-style sofas, and a stylish bar with ’20s-style chrome stools. —

Howard Walker, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2023 The cabinets are some basic design—white—with uninspiring, IKEA-grade chrome handles. —

Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 4 Apr. 2023 The Glazed Donut collection is a full chrome colour spectrum, from classic white and pink to emerald green. —

Megan Decker, refinery29.com, 8 Feb. 2023 The space-saving design fits well into any kitchen or dining room aesthetic, with modern black trim and chrome racks. —

Adria Greenhauff, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Jan. 2023

Verb

From sparkly cowboy hats to chrome stomping boots, here’s your complete guide to what to wear to Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour based off of Beyoncé's exact tour outfits. —

Seventeen, 13 May 2023 Car detailers, however, would have to quit using it by 2027, even though chroming cars accounts for 0.4% of all hexavalent chromium emissions in the state. —

Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2023 First-floor powder rooms have pedestal sinks and chrome faucets. —

Benjamin C Tankersley, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2023 Check out the short clip, complete tracklist and chrome cover art below. —

Glenn Rowley, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2023 My nails look shiny and reflective, but not overtly chrome or glittered. —

Megan Decker, refinery29.com, 11 Oct. 2022 Tundra Capstones are only available in a crew-cab configuration with a 5.5-foot bed and chrome 22-inch wheels are standard. —

Connor Hoffman, Car and Driver, 3 Feb. 2022 The Project Maybach's front end features striking circular headlights and chrome vertical grille trim pieces under a glowing full-width light bar. —

Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 1 Dec. 2021 An extensive restoration was undertaken in 1968, and the car was finally handed down to the owner’s children in 2016, who commissioned a repaint in black, with accents that include copper brake drums and chrome accessories. —

Robert Ross, Robb Report, 2 Aug. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chrome.' 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

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of chrome was in 1800

See more words from the same year