chants 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of chant
1
as in sings
to utter in musical or drawn out tones the frustrated crowd at the rock concert started to chant, "We want the show to start!"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in vocalizes
to produce musical sounds with the voice monks chanting fervently at matins

Synonyms & Similar Words

chants

2 of 2

noun

plural of chant
as in choruses

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chants
Verb
Eurylochus chants this on the seas after the crew leaves the island of the sun god’s cattle. — Wisdom Iheanyichukwu, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026 The ballroom at the Westin Perimeter North is packed with people sporadically breaking out in Rick Jackson chants from time to time. — Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 16 June 2026 As the crowd chants largely out of sight, heavy automatic gunfire can be heard for 15 uninterrupted seconds. — Marin Scott, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026 The Barmy Army chants restart as the England players partly walk over to applaud them. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025 On Saturday nights, when the Jewish Sabbath ends, Elia chants the zemirot, the traditional table hymns. — Eli Sharabi, Time, 1 Oct. 2025 The entire group chants the name of the triumphant Elio and Clone Elio accepts the applause. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chants
  1. sings
  2. vocalizes
  3. choruses
  4. roars
  5. anthems
  6. ditties
  7. ballads
  8. serenades
Verb
  • Monét sings prettily on both duets, but their conventionality dulls her shine.
    — Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The vintage furniture—frames and mirrors and desks dating anywhere from the 16th to 19th centuries—sings in artful assortments.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of sings
Verb
  • The clip, filmed from a few feet away, shows the saxophone player continuing unfazed as the Dalmatian raises its snout and vocalizes in rhythm.
    — Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
  • As the sweetly melodic ballad tapers, a gentle beat kicks in and Carey vocalizes words of religious praise over a syncopated coda for the last two minutes, her five-octave voice punctuating her patented melismatic style.
    — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
Definition of vocalizes
Noun
  • Breaking Benjamin As pounding as any heavy metal band, this Pennsylvania group hammers its way to surprisingly melodic choruses.
    — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Both choruses and quartets compete for the ultimate honor of being district and international champions.
    — Tom Strong, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of choruses
Verb
  • Its back alleys are still pedestrian-only (although the odd motorbike roars past) and maintain their charm.
    — Tony Perrottet, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • On Friday, high temperatures across northern California will start to dip into the 90s and 80s as the evening breeze roars in with gusts above 20 mph and higher at elevation, and sit comfortably in the 70s at most by Saturday and Sunday.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of roars
Noun
  • The welcome ceremony also included a flyover by two B-1 bombers, platoons from each military service, and a presentation of the flags and anthems of both countries.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The welcome ceremony was also set to include a flyover by two B-1 bombers, flower presenters, platoons from each military service, and a presentation of the flags and anthems of both countries.
    — Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of anthems
Noun
  • Hopkins kept playing, and even wrote little ditties on staff paper.
    — Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In the streaming music world, having access to all your favorite tunes and ditties is integral.
    — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 20 July 2026
Definition of ditties
Noun
  • But on the piano, laser-beamed into his songcraft, he’s quietly electrified, at seemingly at peace as his tenorous vocal glissando and nimble fingerwork on the piano produce shiveringly tender folk ballads that echo Harry Nilsson and Van Morrison.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Local-language pop ballads and American rap music blast from speakers.
    — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of ballads
Noun
  • Scrolling SoundCloud the other week, I was reminded of the Blackberry arguments, email apologies, and voicemail serenades of the Heartbreak Drake era.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 14 May 2026
  • Clips from the Pitt-Stanford game spread rapidly on Bluesky, where multiple users captured separate free-throw serenades and posted them individually.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Mar. 2026
Definition of serenades

Browse Nearby Words

chanting
chants
chaos
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chants. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nexus

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All