chart
noun
a sheet exhibiting information in tabular form.
chart
1 American
[chahrt]
/ tʃɑrt /
noun
-
charts
plural
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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.
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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)
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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
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chartsimple
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chartssimple
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have chartedperfect
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has chartedperfect
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am chartingprogressive
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are chartingprogressive
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is chartingprogressive
-
have been chartingperfect progressive
-
has been chartingperfect progressive
Past
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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:
Harris’ version, released in 1977, rose to No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Country chart and is still the best-known rendition of the song.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
Wandering the “maze” of streets in Venice takes patience, he tells us: “Proceeding like the knight in a game of chess, you chart a course of right angles.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Her duet with Kenny Rogers, Islands in the Stream, also reached number seven in 1983, and it has flowed back into this week's chart at number 13.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
The bottom line is that the S&P 500 chart remains positive, and we may have a chance to see an upside breakout after the positive Nvidia earnings.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Dad closed his right eye, but kept his left open just a slit so that he could still read the chart.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
"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
“His first day with us, he was the sixth halfback on the depth chart. The sixth!”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 25, 2018
“I saw on your chart. Why do you think you couldn’t sleep?”
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
Muskoka is the setting of the new series “Sterling Point,” a teen drama that has climbed to the top of the Amazon Prime Video charts since debuting earlier this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
After it hit number one in the country charts, Elvis Presley called – he loved the song and wanted to record a cover.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Let’s begin with two 20-year charts showing how these valuations have changed through Monday.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Her 2019 cover of John Hiatt’s “Faith,” made with Swedish duo Galantis, topped the EDM charts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Monica nods at me, keeps my charts, leaves me to review the papers, and goes into the hall.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
She also had 49 career top-10 country albums and 113 charted country singles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Speaking of hit collaborations, Madonna recently charted with “Bring Your Love,” a duet with Sabrina Carpenter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
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
McAfee, a third-generation California farmer, was born into a family that had charted an unconventional course.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Since they had moved to Ravenel, Lillian had charted his moods like a cartographer, and her instinct for defusing his temper before it erupted told her this was a day for caution.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
In 1967 she recorded Curly Putman’s “Dumb Blonde,” her first charting song as a singer and a savvy choice that spoke to her as both an image and as flesh and blood, as she sang:
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
"Space Force, those guys are literally charting the next frontier of space," he says.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Teeming documents charting the rich subsoil of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo fill nearly 500 metres of shelving at the AfricaMuseum in Tervuren, outside the Belgian capital.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Palantir’s stock is charting a comeback from its worst month in over five years.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 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.
