chart
noun
a sheet exhibiting information in tabular form.
chart
1 American
[chahrt]
/ tʃɑrt /
noun
-
charts
plural
-
a sheet exhibiting information in tabular form.
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a graphic representation, as by curves, of a dependent variable, as temperature, price, etc.; graph.
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a map, especially a hydrographic or marine map.
-
an outline map showing special conditions or facts.
a weather chart.
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Astrology. horoscope.
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Jazz. a musical arrangement.
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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
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an outline map, esp one on which weather information is plotted
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a sheet giving graphical, tabular, or diagrammatical information
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another name for graph
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astrology another word for horoscope
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informal the lists produced weekly from various sources of the bestselling pop singles and albums or the most popular videos
verb
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(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
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(intr) (of a record or video) to appear in the charts (sense 6)
Synonym Usage
See map.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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prechartverb (used with object)
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rechartverb (used with object)
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chartableadjective
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prechartedadjective
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well-chartedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chartsimple
-
chartssimple
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have chartedperfect
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has chartedperfect
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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:
Some unironic astrology: To celebrate Slate’s 30th birthday, Slate writer Heather Schwedel asked several astrologers to interpret the magazine’s birth chart.
From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2026
The chart plots the countries where their economic forecasts were revised upwards from January with those that were revised downwards.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
A chart on the wall totals the extra benefits they helped people claim this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
“Marrow Deep,” the band’s ninth studio album, reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart, and has been widely acclaimed critically.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
On the table itself, we decided on just two things: a large globe and a star chart for easy consultation with the Big Dipper and the North Star.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
"This is another step again. Off the chart. The most outrageous so far."
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
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
“Josh was second or third on the depth chart. … but you could tell right from the get-go how special he was,” Daboll recalled.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 1, 2020
“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
“I’m counting. Keeping a chart. I’m gonna report them to somebody!”
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
The single sold almost three million copies and earned her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records when it stayed in the charts for 36 weeks.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Ms. Li’s novel about the vanity of artistic glory charts John’s youth as he is trained from infancy to be “the next Mozart.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Watching “That Thing You Do!” climbing the charts throughout the movie is a peek into an alien musical world, one that was both more regional and more monocultural than the one we inhabit today.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Is it a booklet with charts and graphs?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
The experts had colorful charts on portable easels.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
All 349 “murmurs” in the Twilight saga: In this very scientific investigation, Rachelle Hampton ranked and charted all the times Stephenie Meyer used the word murmur in her YA vampire series.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
If a charted instrument falls below that line after an extended period above it, that can be viewed as a warning that the trend may have flipped from rising to falling.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
And although he doesn't see himself as a trailblazer, he does want to be remembered as someone that charted a course for others after him.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Julie Masino quietly blessed efforts to find her successor as she publicly charted a path out of a controversial rebranding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
He consults his map and for the next few days he follows the routes she has charted for him with a pencil.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Sweden's truth commission, set up in 2021, was tasked with charting and investigating the policies affecting the Sami and their implementation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
How the singer-turned-congressional candidate Bobby Pulido is charting a path for Democrats in rural and Latino districts.
From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2026
Their dataset included 381 survey transects across 38 catchments and 499 rural properties, along with models charting the distributions of 160 bird species and 426 tree species.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
Oasis' reunion gig at Cardiff's Principality Stadium was a "hugely emotional" experience that took Noel Gallagher by surprise, the directors of a film charting the brothers' comeback tour have said.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Hope that one day I too would be able to find that life balance, and pride that my little sister was charting her own successful life path.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
