chime

1 of 3

noun (1)

Synonyms of chimenext
: the edge or rim of a cask or drum

chime

2 of 3

verb

chimed; chiming

intransitive verb

1
a
: to make a musical and especially a harmonious sound
b
: to make the sounds of a chime
2
: to be or act in accord

transitive verb

1
: to cause to sound musically by striking
2
: to produce by chiming
3
: to call or indicate by chiming
the clock chimed midnight
4
: to utter repetitively : din sense 2
chimer noun

chime

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
: an apparatus for chiming a bell or set of bells
2
a
: a musically tuned set of bells
b
: one of a set of objects giving a bell-like sound when struck
3
a
: the sound of a set of bells
usually used in plural
b
: a musical sound suggesting that of bells
4
: accord, harmony
… such happy chime of fact and theory.Henry Maudsley

Examples of chime in a Sentence

Verb The music and the mood chimed well together. the restaurant's manor-house decor chimes perfectly with the chef's traditionalist take on haute cuisine Noun (2) the welcoming chimes on our doorbell firmly believes that science and religion can keep chime with one another
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
The click and chime of passing time. Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026 As the car carrying him departed the police station, a photographer captured another indelible image, of the former Prince slumped in the back seat, wide-eyed and slack-jawed—the boy for whom the chimes once pealed looking very much like a man for whom the bell now tolls. Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026
Verb
That sense of normalcy largely held until Wednesday evening, when emergency alerts began chiming on phones across Riyadh, warning residents of an aerial threat and instructing them to remain indoors and away from windows. Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026 In mid-March, Michel-Amadry paid tribute to that legacy with the introduction of the Minute Repeater Flying Bridges, a $590,000 rose-gold chiming watch produced in a maximum of eight pieces. Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 23 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chime

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English chimbe, from Old English cimb-; akin to Middle Dutch kimme edge of a cask

Noun (2)

Middle English, cymbal, probably from Anglo-French *chimbe, cime, from Latin cymbalum cymbal

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chime was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chime. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

chime

1 of 2 noun
1
: a set of bells tuned to play music
2
: the sound of a set of bells
usually used in plural

chime

2 of 2 verb
chimed; chiming
1
: to make the sounds of a chime
2
: to call or indicate by chiming

More from Merriam-Webster on chime

Nglish: Translation of chime for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chime

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