chanted; chanting; chants
1
: to make melodic sounds with the voice
especially
: to sing a chant
2
: to recite something in a monotonous repetitive tone
protesters were chanting outside
1
Synonyms
Examples of chant in a Sentence
Verb
The crowd began chanting her name.
They chanted “Sara, Sara” until she came back on stage.
Protesters were chanting outside the governor's home.
They were chanting in Arabic.
Priests chanted the Catholic Mass in Latin.
Noun
Our chant was “Peace now, peace now!”.
Chant is often used as a form of meditation and prayer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
The cathedral was as deep and shadowed as a canyon, full of drifting incense and the thrilling sound of low choral chanting.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
Some found their way into the group texts for arranging kirtan—living-room chanting sessions at Ram Dass’s house—or beach excursions.
—Christopher Fiorello, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 TV said some of the worshippers were chanting in support of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the Hamas military wing.
—NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
The forum ends Rittenhouse stepped down from the podium around 7:45 p.m. Protestors chanted loudly for a short time, but the crowd is starting to disperse.
—The Courier-Journal, 27 Mar. 2024
Suddenly, an uptight Vice bro to my right is freed, starts to quietly chant, and rock laterally.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024
At rallies across Israel, the largest in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, crowds chanted and waved signs and flags.
—Mallory Moench, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
Practitioners of Santeria trace historical ties to the Yoruba traditional religion, whose people have been reported to perform a chanting ritual during a solar eclipse.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
The chants and the hymns are ordered and peaceful, a recipe for beauty.
—Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2024
Native Hawaiians also offer prayers, chants and dances at the summit, called Kaluapele, rangers said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 28 Mar. 2024
The game was called off with about four minutes left due to the unceasing nature of the chants, which have been a repetitive problem at Mexico’s games and prompted this post for the team’s account on X in June of 2021.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2024
After two hours, the protesters began winding down their chants, songs and speeches.
—Clarence Williams, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Euphorically heavy hooks, psychedelic chants, and shoegazy smears exorcise the demons in grandiose fashion.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2024
The shirt is an appropriation of the Black Lives Matter movement's chant that is intended to give voice to women who had been killed by police.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024
Through some combination of reverence and laziness, American soccer has borrowed many of its chants from the British.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2024
Verb
Their drum banging and megaphone chanting just barely could be heard on the 11th floor, near the mayor's balcony.
—Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
The cathedral was as deep and shadowed as a canyon, full of drifting incense and the thrilling sound of low choral chanting.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
Some found their way into the group texts for arranging kirtan—living-room chanting sessions at Ram Dass’s house—or beach excursions.
—Christopher Fiorello, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 TV said some of the worshippers were chanting in support of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the Hamas military wing.
—NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
The forum ends Rittenhouse stepped down from the podium around 7:45 p.m. Protestors chanted loudly for a short time, but the crowd is starting to disperse.
—The Courier-Journal, 27 Mar. 2024
Suddenly, an uptight Vice bro to my right is freed, starts to quietly chant, and rock laterally.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024
At rallies across Israel, the largest in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, crowds chanted and waved signs and flags.
—Mallory Moench, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
Practitioners of Santeria trace historical ties to the Yoruba traditional religion, whose people have been reported to perform a chanting ritual during a solar eclipse.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Noun
Their chants began before the game started, and only grew louder after their team scored a pair of first-period goals against the San Jose Sharks 18 seconds apart.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
The chants and the hymns are ordered and peaceful, a recipe for beauty.
—Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2024
Native Hawaiians also offer prayers, chants and dances at the summit, called Kaluapele, rangers said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 28 Mar. 2024
The game was called off with about four minutes left due to the unceasing nature of the chants, which have been a repetitive problem at Mexico’s games and prompted this post for the team’s account on X in June of 2021.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2024
After two hours, the protesters began winding down their chants, songs and speeches.
—Clarence Williams, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Euphorically heavy hooks, psychedelic chants, and shoegazy smears exorcise the demons in grandiose fashion.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2024
The shirt is an appropriation of the Black Lives Matter movement's chant that is intended to give voice to women who had been killed by police.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024
Through some combination of reverence and laziness, American soccer has borrowed many of its chants from the British.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chant.' 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 chant
Cite this Entry
“Chant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chant. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chant
1 of 2 verb1
: to sing especially in the way a chant is sung
2
: to recite or speak with no change in tone
chanter
noun
chant
2 of 2 noun1
: a melody in which several words or syllables are sung in one tone
2
: something spoken in the style of a chant
Etymology
Verb
Middle English chaunten "to chant," from early French chanter (same meaning), derived from Latin canere "to sing" — related to cant entry 3, cantata, chantey, charm
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