1
a
: a long slender flexible material usually consisting of several strands (as of thread or yarn) woven or twisted together
b
: the hangman's rope
2
: a moral, spiritual, or emotional bond
3
a
: an anatomical structure (such as a nerve or tendon) resembling a cord
especially
: umbilical cord sense 1a
b
: a small flexible insulated electrical cable having a plug at one or both ends used to connect a lamp or other appliance with a receptacle
4
: a unit of wood cut for fuel equal to a stack 4 x 4 x 8 feet or 128 cubic feet
5
a
: a rib like a cord on a textile
b(1)
: a fabric made with such ribs or a garment made of such a fabric
(2)
cords plural
: trousers made of such a fabric
corded; cording; cords
corder
noun
Examples of cord in a Sentence
Noun
She wore the key on a cord around her neck.
They used cords to tie the tent to the trees.
Recent Examples on the Web
Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
That could shift maps away from areas where the cords are more prone to damage.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
Before plugging in the aux cord, linking a Bluetooth speaker or inviting a cover band on stage, business owners or event organizers must have a license.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2024
The dock stands tidily on your nightstand, requiring only one cord to charge three devices simultaneously.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2024
Comanche, 27, and Harnden, 19, used a cord or another ligature to strangle Rodgers, the grand jury indictment alleges.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
For Tyson, the unthinkable happened in 2009 when his 4-year-old daughter Exodus died after accidentally choking herself with a cord.
—Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
Many audiophiles contend that a component’s power cord—especially for the amplifier—is the most important cable connection of all, and the ER-20 Power Cord, at just $200, delivers audible improvement well beyond its modest price.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024
Once charged, the battery lasts up to 14 hours, but the headphones can also be used with a cord should the battery die.
—Deanna McCormack, Parents, 19 Mar. 2024
Pragathi Ravi, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Mar. 2024
While this vacuum is corded, the 15-foot cord reaches an entire room easily, and the 0.71-quart cup empties with the push of a button—there’s no bag to deal with.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024
Do note that this electric option does need to be plugged into a power source as it is corded.
—Jack Byram, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Jan. 2024
Some electric snow blowers are corded, some cordless.
—Ben Romans, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
The Worx corded electric stationary mulcher runs off a 13 amp, 2 horsepower motor that’s capable of chewing through up to 53 gallons of leaves per minute with an impressive 11:1 mulching ratio.
—Tony Carrick, Popular Mechanics, 1 Sep. 2023
The vacuums are not completely virtuous, as Mr. MacMillan pointed out, because of Dyson’s use of lithium-ion batteries and its two-year warranty for cordless vacuums (corded vacuums have a five-year warranty).
—Wilson Wong, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
When To Begin Planning Cord Blood Banking How much does cord blood banking cost?
—Parents Editors, Parents, 12 Nov. 2023
With 72 tweezers—the most of any device on this list—arrayed over a series of discs, this corded, 5.4-ounce epilator aims to pluck the most hair possible per pass.
—Abbie Kozolchyk, wsj.com, 17 Oct. 2023
Noun
Avoid basements or rooms where water has submerged electrical outlets or cords.
—Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
That could shift maps away from areas where the cords are more prone to damage.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
Before plugging in the aux cord, linking a Bluetooth speaker or inviting a cover band on stage, business owners or event organizers must have a license.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2024
The dock stands tidily on your nightstand, requiring only one cord to charge three devices simultaneously.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2024
Comanche, 27, and Harnden, 19, used a cord or another ligature to strangle Rodgers, the grand jury indictment alleges.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
For Tyson, the unthinkable happened in 2009 when his 4-year-old daughter Exodus died after accidentally choking herself with a cord.
—Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
Many audiophiles contend that a component’s power cord—especially for the amplifier—is the most important cable connection of all, and the ER-20 Power Cord, at just $200, delivers audible improvement well beyond its modest price.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024
Once charged, the battery lasts up to 14 hours, but the headphones can also be used with a cord should the battery die.
—Deanna McCormack, Parents, 19 Mar. 2024
Verb
Thick corded trunks snake upward from the ground, reaching toward an overhead lattice of branches splotched with green.
—Pragathi Ravi, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Mar. 2024
While this vacuum is corded, the 15-foot cord reaches an entire room easily, and the 0.71-quart cup empties with the push of a button—there’s no bag to deal with.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024
Do note that this electric option does need to be plugged into a power source as it is corded.
—Jack Byram, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Jan. 2024
Some electric snow blowers are corded, some cordless.
—Ben Romans, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
The Worx corded electric stationary mulcher runs off a 13 amp, 2 horsepower motor that’s capable of chewing through up to 53 gallons of leaves per minute with an impressive 11:1 mulching ratio.
—Tony Carrick, Popular Mechanics, 1 Sep. 2023
The vacuums are not completely virtuous, as Mr. MacMillan pointed out, because of Dyson’s use of lithium-ion batteries and its two-year warranty for cordless vacuums (corded vacuums have a five-year warranty).
—Wilson Wong, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
When To Begin Planning Cord Blood Banking How much does cord blood banking cost?
—Parents Editors, Parents, 12 Nov. 2023
With 72 tweezers—the most of any device on this list—arrayed over a series of discs, this corded, 5.4-ounce epilator aims to pluck the most hair possible per pass.
—Abbie Kozolchyk, wsj.com, 17 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cord.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cord
Cite this Entry
“Cord.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cord. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cord
1 of 2 noun1
: material like a small thin rope that is used mostly for tying things
2
: a bodily structure (as a tendon or nerve) resembling a cord
especially
: umbilical cord
3
: a small flexible insulated electrical cable with a plug at one or both ends used for connecting an appliance to an outlet
4
: an amount of firewood equal to a pile of wood 4 × 4 × 8 feet or 128 cubic feet (about 3.6 cubic meters)
5
a
: a rib like a cord on a fabric
b
: a fabric with such ribs
cord
2 of 2 verb1
: to supply, bind, or connect with a cord
2
: to pile up wood in cords
Medical Definition
cord
noun1
: a long slender flexible material usually consisting of several strands (as of thread or yarn) woven or twisted together
2
: a slender flexible anatomical structure (as a nerve) see spermatic cord, spinal cord, umbilical cord, vocal cord sense 1
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