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:
He understands how to use his innate magnetism to charm his way through even the silliest scripts, occasionally creating a dissonance between the film and his performances that makes even the duds memorable.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
Between Jordan’s charm and Misty’s smile that only emerges around him, the film flirts with becoming a romantic comedy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Possessed of huge drive, vast wealth and immense personal charm, Archer bounced back from disaster and, more than once, rebuilt a shattered life.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
"Now that old ecosystem is fading, and the charm is being lost," he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Naano reaches out and gently touches the crown charm hanging around my neck, the one Mr. Chapman gave me.
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
The world's largest jewellery brand showed off bracelet charms featuring Vietnam's national flag and a bowl of pho noodle soup as it opened a manufacturing centre in the country on Thursday, its first outside Thailand.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
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
Yet, a strange feeling, as irrational as Basta's good-luck charms, had driven him out: a feeling that he could protect the book just by his presence.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
The 6-foot-5 soccer star who had just charmed America carried his little friend up the stairs, strode onto the aircraft and wedged him into a business-class seat to cross the Atlantic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The movie “9 to 5” from 1980 settled her broadening stardom; acting alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in a comedy about three office workers who get even with an abusive boss, Parton charmed viewers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
On television, she charmed everyone from Carol Burnett to The Muppets to the “Designing Women.”
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
In the 2000s, Carradine charmed a new generation of fans as lovable TV dad Sam in “Lizzie McGuire.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Once they were adequately charmed, she kindly asked if she could enter the camp and give food to the prisoners.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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
Boricua culture, old and new, is celebrated in a charming image of a langosta vendor atop a horse and a portrait of Bad Bunny proudly performing in front of a flapping Puerto Rican flag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Up in heaven one spring morning as he idly watched the earth, Zeus suddenly saw a charming spectacle.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
