charm

[ chahrm ]

/ tʃɑrm /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: charm / charmed / charming / charms on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

a trait or feature imparting this power.

charms, attractiveness.

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

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

any action supposed to have magical power.

the chanting or recitation of a magic verse or formula.

a verse or formula credited with magical power.

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

verb (used with object)

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)

to be fascinating or pleasing.

to use charms.

to act as a charm.

OTHER WORDS FOR charm

1 attractiveness, allurement.

4 bauble.

5 talisman.

6 enchantment, spell.

8 spell.

10 fascinate, captivate, entrance, enrapture, ravish; allure, bewitch.

See synonyms for charm on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CUDDLE UP! A COZY QUIZ ON FALL WORDS HAS ARRIVED

If autumn is your ideal season, spice up your repertoire of "fall" vocabulary with this quiz on some warm and vivid descriptive words for the season.

Question 1 of 10

Which of the following words means “to make a crackling sound; crackle”?

crisp

crepitate

fuscous

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of charm

1250–1300; Middle English charme, from Old French, from Latin carminem, accusative of carmen “song, magical formula,” from unattested canmen (by dissimilation), equivalent to can(ere) “to sing” + -men noun suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM charm

charm·ed·ly

[chahr-mid-lee], /ˈtʃɑr mɪd li/, adverbcharmer, nouncharmless, adjectivecharm·less·ly, adverb

Words nearby charm

charlotte russe, Charlottesville, Charlottetown, Charlton, Charlyne, charm, charmed, charmed circle, charmed life, charmed particle, charmed quark

Other definitions for charm (2 of 2)

charm²

[ chahrm ]

/ tʃɑrm /

noun British Dialect.

blended singing of birds, children, etc.

Origin of charm

First recorded before 1000; Middle English cherm(e),Old English cerm, ceorm, variant of ci(e)rm “outcry”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use charm in a sentence

They even had the tournament’s favorite 98-year-old nun, Sister Jean, as a lucky charm.
Remember Loyola? This Team Is Even Better Than The One That Made The Final Four.|Jake Lourim|February 10, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
He was friendly and had a captivating charm and a sharp wit, Monteleone said.
Montgomery high school senior, athlete, slain, Howard County police say|Martin Weil|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
Part of the trials’ charm has been the sheer number of participants, the vast majority with little to no chance of making the Olympic team.
USA Swimming shrinks Olympic trials as safety precaution|Rick Maese|January 26, 2021|Washington Post
The exact recipe was a closely guarded secret, but part of the petite crab cake’s charm was the restraint deployed by the chef.
We lost Johnny’s Half Shell to the pandemic. After 20 years, it deserves a farewell toast.|Tom Sietsema|January 15, 2021|Washington Post

We can practically see the steam coming out of Pen’s ears as she watches her cousin charm Colin.
‘Bridgerton’ dropped several clues about Lady Whistledown’s identity. Did they add up?|Bethonie Butler|January 6, 2021|Washington Post
There is charm, oodles of it, but also a steeliness about Gilkes.
William, Kate, and Jay Z’s Favorite Art Star: Alexander Gilkes' World of Rock Stars and Royalty|Tim Teeman|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the end, Stephen did not kill young William, which the knight would claim was due to his charm.
England’s Greatest Knight Puts ‘Game of Thrones’ to Shame|William O’Connor|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The charm continues when he waxes on—and on—about the immeasurable respect he has for Cumberbatch, his friend of over 15 years.
From ‘The Good Wife’ to ‘The Imitation Game’: Matthew Goode Wages His Charm Offensive|Kevin Fallon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The system faintly evokes the charm of the Hogwarts houses—without a Sorting Hat, that is.
Freshman Year Sucks—and That’s OK|Eleanor Hyun|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the last several months Pyongyang has launched a charm offensive directed at Moscow, Tokyo, and Seoul.
Why North Korea Released Two Americans|Gordon G. Chang|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many of them were delicious in the role; one of them was the embodiment of every womanly grace and charm.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Yet, if one looks closely, under the froth and foppery, some of the charm and perception of the man still shines through.
A Letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope|Colley Cibber
Feeling sixteen and very foolish, she sank to the edge of a chair and muttered something about the charm of the room.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Perhaps he is a little conscious of his charm; if so, it is hardly his fault, for hero-worship has been his lot from boyhood.
First Plays|A. A. Milne
A great charm in Trevithick's character was his freedom and largeness of view in questions of competition.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick

British Dictionary definitions for charm (1 of 2)

charm¹

/ (tʃɑːm) /

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

like a charm 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 charmhe charmed them into believing him

Word Origin for charm

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

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

Word Origin for charm

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 ]

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. See more at flavor.

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

charm

OTHER WORDS FOR charm

Origin of charm

OTHER WORDS FROM charm

Words nearby charm

Other definitions for charm (2 of 2)

Origin of charm

Words related to charm

How to use charm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for charm (1 of 2)

Word Origin for charm

British Dictionary definitions for charm (2 of 2)

Word Origin for charm

Scientific definitions for charm

Other Idioms and Phrases with charm