charm
1 Americannoun
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a power of pleasing or attracting, as through personality or beauty: the charm of a mountain lake.
charm of manner;
the charm of a mountain lake.
- Synonyms:
- allurement, attractiveness
-
a trait or feature imparting this power.
-
charms, attractiveness.
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a trinket to be worn on a bracelet, necklace, etc.
- Synonyms:
- bauble
-
something worn or carried on one's person for its supposed magical effect; amulet.
- Synonyms:
- talisman
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any action supposed to have magical power.
- Synonyms:
- spell, enchantment
-
the chanting or recitation of a magic verse or formula.
-
a verse or formula credited with magical power.
- Synonyms:
- spell
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Physics. a quantum number assigned the value +1 for one kind of quark, −1 for its antiquark, and 0 for all other quarks. C
verb (used with object)
-
charms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
charmed,
past participle, past
-
charming
present participle
-
to delight or please greatly by beauty, attractiveness, etc.; enchant.
She charmed us with her grace.
-
to act upon (someone or something) with or as with a compelling or magical force.
to charm a bird from a tree.
-
to endow with or protect by supernatural powers.
-
to gain or influence through personal charm.
He charmed a raise out of his boss.
verb (used without object)
-
charms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
charmed,
past participle, past
-
charming
present participle
-
to be fascinating or pleasing.
-
to use charms.
-
to act as a charm.
noun
noun
noun
-
the quality of pleasing, fascinating, or attracting people
-
a pleasing or attractive feature
-
a small object worn or kept for supposed magical powers of protection; amulet; talisman
-
a trinket worn on a bracelet
-
a magic spell; enchantment
-
a formula or action used in casting such a spell
-
physics an internal quantum number of certain elementary particles, used to explain some scattering experiments
-
perfectly; successfully
verb
-
to attract or fascinate; delight greatly
-
to cast a magic spell on
-
to protect, influence, or heal, supposedly by magic
-
(tr) to influence or obtain by personal charm
he charmed them into believing him
-
One of the flavors of quarks, contributing to the charm number—a quantum number—for hadrons.
-
A charmed particle is a particle that contains at least one charmed quark or charmed antiquark. The charmed quark was hypothesized to account for the longevity of the J/psi particle and to explain differences in the behavior of leptons and hadrons.
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See more at flavor
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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charmsimple
-
charmssimple
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have charmedperfect
-
has charmedperfect
-
am charmingprogressive
-
are charmingprogressive
-
is charmingprogressive
-
have been charmingperfect progressive
-
has been charmingperfect progressive
Past
-
charmedsimple
-
had charmedperfect
-
was charmingprogressive
-
were charmingprogressive
-
had been charmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of charm1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English charme “magical verse or incantation,” from Old French, from Latin carmen “song, magical formula,” from unattested canmen (by dissimilation), equivalent to can(ere) “to sing” + -men noun suffix
Origin of charm2
First recorded in 1520–30 as cherme, dialect variant of chirm “noise, din,” perhaps associated with charm 1 ( def. ) (in the sense “chanting of a magic verse”)
Explanation
A charm is a magical spell or an object that brings luck: it's also a quality of being attractive and pleasing. To charm someone is to attract them. There are several types of charms, but they mostly relate to attraction and good luck. A lucky coin is a charm. The spell of a witch that entrances you is a charm. People with magnetic personalities, who make you want to hang out with them, have charm and are therefore considered charming. Also, to charm someone is to attract them and win them over. Popular politicians charm the masses, and teachers' pets charm their teachers.
Vocabulary lists containing charm
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Though he’s always been a great actor, popping up here and there to elevate material, Hartnett has found an artistic sweet spot, using his effervescent charm and boy-next-door-all-grown-up good looks to subvert expectations.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
Twenty-one high-flying contestants are vying to win £100,000 for their charity of choice with all the charm, persuasion and manipulation they can muster.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
A supersizing of the series format, it doesn’t significantly alter the rangy charm of Wilson’s video-captured eccentricities, a sturdy foundation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Among the major problems is the lead performance of Mr. Pattinson, who gives us a greasy, erratic character bereft of the charm, smarm and rounded baritone that TV newsmen rely on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
“Yeah, but he didn’t tell me he invited his boyish charm to dine with us, too!”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
It’s rare to have the opportunity to consider museum ethics, extraterrestrial life and the labor theory of value all in one show, but that’s one of the many charms of this always surprising fair.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
One of the charms of baseball is a cliche: Anything can happen — in a single game or in a short series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Obama sure has his charms, but he comes out of a different mold: the Harvard-educated lawyer who pictured himself in the Oval Office from an early age.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
And there is more small-screen exposure for Greece's charms to come: Netflix had chosen the country for the sixth season of hit series "Emily in Paris".
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
I touch the charms on my bracelets—Star of David first, then flag, teacup, TARDIS.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Norway’s Erling Haaland, who charmed the world during this summer’s tournament, has more goals for club and country at 26 than either Messi or Ronaldo had at the same age.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
On television, she charmed everyone from Carol Burnett to The Muppets to the “Designing Women.”
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
Ryan Murphy’s new psychological thriller, based on a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, follows the charmed teens of 1980s Los Angeles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
By all accounts, Aschenbrenner was living a charmed life in San Francisco.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
There were so many wealthy kids at Duke that Farmer was charmed by what money could buy, even if he had very little of it.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
And it boasts a great cast, including newly minted Emmy winner Kate O’Flynn, as charming here as she is on “Widow’s Bay.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
One wouldn’t call him a charming personality, but he is compelling in his absolute confidence in himself and his ideas.
From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2026
It said Luke was a "charming, approachable and genuinely lovely lad", whose "kindness, enthusiasm and character" touched all at the sixth form.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Steffi Cao argues that we should be wary of the algorithm that incentivizes mindless scrolling, but there is nonetheless something charming about the wacky human storytelling that drives these videos.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
No—Josie’s father bent down to look more closely—the back of the drawer had unspooled into a charming spiral of stairs.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
