chart
noun
a sheet exhibiting information in tabular form.
chart
1 American
[chahrt]
/ tʃɑrt /
noun
charts
plural
-
a sheet exhibiting information in tabular form.
-
a graphic representation, as by curves, of a dependent variable, as temperature, price, etc.; graph.
-
a map, especially a hydrographic or marine map.
-
an outline map showing special conditions or facts.
a weather chart.
-
Astrology. horoscope.
-
Jazz. a musical arrangement.
-
the charts, ratings of the popularity of popular-music records, usually based on nationwide sales for a given week.
Their album is number three on the charts this week.
verb (used with object)
charts,
present (3rd person singular)
charted,
past participle, past
charting
present participle
idioms
chart.
2
American
abbreviation
chart
British
/ tʃɑːt /
noun
-
a map designed to aid navigation by sea or air
-
an outline map, esp one on which weather information is plotted
-
a sheet giving graphical, tabular, or diagrammatical information
-
another name for graph
-
astrology another word for horoscope
-
informal the lists produced weekly from various sources of the bestselling pop singles and albums or the most popular videos
verb
-
(tr) to make a chart of
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(tr) to make a detailed plan of
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(tr) to plot or outline the course of
-
(intr) (of a record or video) to appear in the charts (sense 6)
Synonym Usage
See map.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
prechartverb (used with object)
-
rechartverb (used with object)
-
chartableadjective
-
prechartedadjective
-
well-chartedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chartsimple
-
chartssimple
-
have chartedperfect
-
has chartedperfect
-
am chartingprogressive
-
are chartingprogressive
-
is chartingprogressive
-
have been chartingperfect progressive
-
has been chartingperfect progressive
Past
-
chartedsimple
-
had chartedperfect
-
was chartingprogressive
-
were chartingprogressive
-
had been chartingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chart1
1565–75; from Middle French charte, from Latin c(h)arta; see charta
Origin of chart.2
From the Latin word charta
Explanation
Whether it's a kind of graph, a map, or even a piece of music, a chart is a visual display of information. As a verb, chart means to make that kind of display. Some words' meanings grow narrower over the centuries. But in the case of chart, which comes from the French charte and Latin charta, "map," the meanings have grown a lot since the 1500s. Now, chart is a noun meaning any visual index of information, as in "that song is shooting up the charts." It's also still a map, as in "harbor chart." And it's a verb, as in "to chart your progress, make a chart."
Vocabulary lists containing chart
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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The Scientific Method
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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:
She was thrust into the spotlight in 2012 when her debut album, Our Version of Events, spent 10 weeks at number one and broke a chart record set by The Beatles.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
That, says Mitra, has made it possible to chart the human brainstem at an unprecedented scale.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
The chart above suggests “you don’t have to worry about margin debt until it starts to get out of control” in that 10th decile, according to Opsal.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
This next chart shows what has happened to the S&P 500’s forward 12-month returns after the increased rate of margin borrowing has climbed into the 10th decile, where it stands currently.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
She turned me around to face a chart on the wall, her hand cold on my bare shoulder.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
"When we wrote this song, in the blazing month of August, we didn't even expect it to chart. But here we are, in a Mariah Carey and Wham! sandwich, and we're the filling. I'm stoked!"
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2023
Latona said, "Please stop calling what happened 'a demise' because it's upsetting her. And also stop asking her the same thing over and over. It's in the chart. Put it in the chart."
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2022
“She somehow neglected to get all the information in the chart. That’s tragic and I also have great compassion for her humanity.”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 6, 2020
“Guys don’t need to worry about their rank in the depth chart. They just need to get better each day,” Petersen said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2014
“But Amy said she wanted to see my McDonald’s chart. It’ll only take a minute.”
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
She also recalled Wannabe's nail-biting first week on the charts.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” climbed music charts and earned Tyler a Grammy nomination for female pop vocal performance in 1984.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Here’s what to know about the weather in three charts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Some artists have for various reasons canceled or postponed tours this year, and fans have noted the prevalence of empty seats at venues and on seating charts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
By 2041, spiked hair and acid-washed jeans were back in style, and covers of hit ’80s pop songs by contemporary bands dominated the music charts.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
We have charted the best away wins so far - but that excludes some of England's most impressive results... including the undoubted number one.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
In the 1990s, he reached rock-star heights as a policymaker while the U.S. charted a long economic expansion following the end of the Cold War.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
McAfee, a third-generation California farmer, was born into a family that had charted an unconventional course.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
This is momentum tracker that many use to first determine whether a charted instrument becomes overbought or oversold.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026
Dr. Kane and his twenty-man crew named Canada’s Kennedy Channel, took geographical measurements, and charted iceberg-filled waters further north through the summer of 1853.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Palantir’s stock is charting a comeback from its worst month in over five years.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
“Normally there’d be a current charting trap or rap song, but there’s something about that song that I think makes you recalibrate how you’re looking at the scene in general.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
While there’s no comprehensive data charting prophylactic mastectomies among young people, some surgeons described shifts that have led to changes in their patient demographics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Two rising stars in quantum computing are charting vastly different courses to the public trading floor.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
The more geographically knowledgeable of the prisoners sketched maps in the dirt, charting the Soviet army's advance.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
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.
