chime
1 Americannoun
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an apparatus for striking a bell so as to produce a musical sound, as one at the front door of a house by which visitors announce their presence.
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Often chimes
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a set of bells or of slabs of metal, stone, wood, etc., producing musical tones when struck.
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a musical instrument consisting of such a set, especially a glockenspiel.
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the musical tones thus produced.
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harmonious relation; accord.
the battling duo, in chime at last.
verb (used without object)
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to sound harmoniously or in chimes as a set of bells.
The church bells chimed at noon.
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to produce a musical sound by striking a bell, gong, etc.; ring chimes.
The doorbell chimed.
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to speak in cadence or singsong.
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to harmonize; agree.
The scenery chimed perfectly with the play's eerie mood.
verb (used with object)
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to give forth (music, sound, etc.), as a bell or bells.
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to strike (a bell, set of bells, etc.) so as to produce musical sound.
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to put, bring, indicate, announce, etc., by chiming.
Bells chimed the hour.
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to utter or repeat in cadence or singsong.
The class chimed a greeting to the new teacher.
verb phrase
noun
noun
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an individual bell or the sound it makes when struck
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(often plural) the machinery employed to sound a bell in this way
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Also called: bell. a percussion instrument consisting of a set of vertical metal tubes of graduated length, suspended in a frame and struck with a hammer
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a harmonious or ringing sound
the chimes of children's laughter
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agreement; concord
verb
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to sound (a bell) or (of a bell) to be sounded by a clapper or hammer
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to produce (music or sounds) by chiming
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(tr) to indicate or show (time or the hours) by chiming
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(tr) to summon, announce, or welcome by ringing bells
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to agree or harmonize
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to speak or recite in a musical or rhythmic manner
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chimesimple
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chimessimple
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have chimedperfect
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has chimedperfect
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am chimingprogressive
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are chimingprogressive
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is chimingprogressive
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have been chimingperfect progressive
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has been chimingperfect progressive
Past
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chimedsimple
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had chimedperfect
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was chimingprogressive
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were chimingprogressive
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had been chimingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chime1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English chymbe belle “cymbal, chime,” literally, “chime bell,” by false analysis of chimbel, chimble, from Old English cimbal, cimbala, or from Old French chimbe, variant of cimbe, cimble cymbal
Origin of chime2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English chimb(e) “rim of a barrel”; compare Old English cimbing “joining, joint,” cim-stānas “bases of a pillar”; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch kimme “edge”
Vocabulary lists containing chime
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:
The league is also expected to pass new rules that would give staff inside the NFL’s video command center in New York the authority to chime in with more penalty calls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Finales can be tough, given how viewers chime in on social media.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
Each date would last two minutes — a chime would alert the men when it was time to move clockwise to the next seat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
However, the analysis shows another significant annual rise, and the figures chime with those provided by other monitoring groups.
From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2025
The ten o’clock chime rang out from the clock in the kitchen.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
I’d be curious if Peters chimes in on the question, having changed his mind on acquisitions not long ago.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
The BBC understands that account chimes with police intelligence.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
Reardon grew up in South Dakota’s Black Hills and says she chimes in on restaurants, attractions and hiking in a Facebook group focused on that destination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
He added, however, that the mindset also chimes with the line being put out by the authorities -- that life in Russia continues as normal, despite the war.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
The elevator chimes softly, and the door opens.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Another vet chimed in: “It’s such a beautiful thing — we GET to do nothing if we want to.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
From the passenger's seat, Yegor's wife, settled into the car's leather seats, chimed in.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
I think his son Rex Jones chimed in.
From Slate ● Jul. 12, 2026
With Swift's resources, "You're gonna be able to make anything look pretty," Maxey chimed in.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
My phone chimed as she turned it off.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
But as the Canadian prime minister was talking, Trump, frustrated with a technical issue that prevented him from chiming in, lobbed the device over the Resolute Desk and onto the floor, an official present said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
In the years that followed, whenever she popped up in the news, Trump couldn’t stop himself from chiming in.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
In 1996, the Mavericks won a Grammy Award for “Here Comes the Rain,” a chiming roots-rock number from their album “Music for All Occasions,” which featured appearances by Trisha Yearwood and the accordionist Flaco Jiménez.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025
Two pianists weave together brief musical statements—crawling, low-end figures; chiming high notes; staggered phrases; wisps of possible melodies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025
And then she smiles and walks into the dining room, leaving Marco alone in the hall, just as the clock begins chiming midnight and the first course is served.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
