charm

1
[ chahrm ]
See synonyms for: charmcharmedcharmingcharms on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a power of pleasing or attracting, as through personality or beauty: charm of manner; the charm of a mountain lake.

  2. a trait or feature imparting this power.

  1. charms, attractiveness.

  2. a trinket to be worn on a bracelet, necklace, etc.

  3. something worn or carried on one's person for its supposed magical effect; amulet.

  4. any action supposed to have magical power.

  5. the chanting or recitation of a magic verse or formula.

  6. a verse or formula credited with magical power.

  7. Physics. a quantum number assigned the value +1 for one kind of quark, −1 for its antiquark, and 0 for all other quarks. Symbol: C: Compare charmed quark.

verb (used with object)
  1. to delight or please greatly by beauty, attractiveness, etc.; enchant: She charmed us with her grace.

  2. to act upon (someone or something) with or as with a compelling or magical force: to charm a bird from a tree.

  1. to endow with or protect by supernatural powers.

  2. to gain or influence through personal charm: He charmed a raise out of his boss.

verb (used without object)
  1. to be fascinating or pleasing.

  2. to use charms.

  1. to act as a charm.

Origin of charm

1
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

Other words for charm

Other words from charm

  • charm·ed·ly [chahr-mid-lee], /ˈtʃɑr mɪd li/, adverb
  • charmer, noun
  • charmless, adjective
  • charm·less·ly, adverb

Words Nearby charm

Other definitions for charm (2 of 2)

charm2
[ chahrm ]

nounBritish Dialect.
  1. blended singing of birds, children, etc.

Origin of charm

2
First recorded in 1520–30 as cherme, dialect variant of chirm “noise, din,” perhaps associated with charm1 (in the sense “chanting of a magic verse”)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use charm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for charm (1 of 2)

charm1

/ (tʃɑːm) /


noun
  1. the quality of pleasing, fascinating, or attracting people

  2. a pleasing or attractive feature

  1. a small object worn or kept for supposed magical powers of protection; amulet; talisman

  2. a trinket worn on a bracelet

  3. a magic spell; enchantment

  4. a formula or action used in casting such a spell

  5. physics an internal quantum number of certain elementary particles, used to explain some scattering experiments

  6. like a charm perfectly; successfully

verb
  1. to attract or fascinate; delight greatly

  2. to cast a magic spell on

  1. to protect, influence, or heal, supposedly by magic

  2. (tr) to influence or obtain by personal charm: he charmed them into believing him

Origin of charm

1
C13: from Old French charme, from Latin carmen song, incantation, from canere to sing

British Dictionary definitions for charm (2 of 2)

charm2

/ (tʃɑːm) /


noun
  1. Southwest English dialect a loud noise, as of a number of people chattering or of birds singing

Origin of charm

2
C16: variant of chirm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for charm

charm

[ chärm ]


  1. One of the flavors of quarks, contributing to the charm number-a quantum number-for hadrons.

  2. 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. See more at flavor.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with charm

charm

In addition to the idioms beginning with charm

  • charmed life
  • charm the pants off

also see:

  • (charm the) pants off
  • work like a charm

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.