chime

[ chahym ]

/ tʃaɪm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chime ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

Often chimes.

a set of bells or of slabs of metal, stone, wood, etc., producing musical tones when struck.
a musical instrument consisting of such a set, especially a glockenspiel.
the musical tones thus produced.
carillon.

harmonious sound in general; music; melody.

harmonious relation; accord: the battling duo, in chime at last.

verb (used without object), chimed, chim·ing.

to sound harmoniously or in chimes as a set of bells: The church bells chimed at noon.

to produce a musical sound by striking a bell, gong, etc.; ring chimes: The doorbell chimed.

to speak in cadence or singsong.

to harmonize; agree: The scenery chimed perfectly with the play's eerie mood.

verb (used with object), chimed, chim·ing.

to give forth (music, sound, etc.), as a bell or bells.

to strike (a bell, set of bells, etc.) so as to produce musical sound.

to put, bring, indicate, announce, etc., by chiming: Bells chimed the hour.

to utter or repeat in cadence or singsong: The class chimed a greeting to the new teacher.

Verb Phrases

chime in,

to break suddenly and unwelcomely into a conversation, as to express agreement or voice an opinion.
to harmonize with, as in singing.
to be consistent or compatible; agree: The new building will not chime in with the surrounding architecture.

Nearby words

Origin of chime

1250–1300; Middle English chymbe belle, by false analysis of *chimbel, Old English cimbal cymbal

Related formschim·er, nounun·chim·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chimed

"Perry" chimed in: "They don't want to take blame," he said of the police union attacking De Blasio.
Justice League Vigil for Slain NYPD Officers Asks Whose Life Matters|Olivia Nuzzi|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even Xi chimed in on the debate the other day by saying that the blue in ‘APEC blue’ should remain permanent.
Obama and Xi Jinping Say They’ll Work Together to Save Environment|Ben Leung|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Lorena Bobbitt has committed the ultimate revolutionary act of contemporary feminism,” chimed Camille Paglia.
Carol Shields’s Tale Of Secondhand Life|Nathaniel Rich|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her red-haired friend Svetlana chimed in, “Between two evils we choose Russia.”
Putin Has Predicted Civil War in Ukraine. So Do Many of Its People|Anna Nemtsova|April 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Then came a moment of hesitation, and Mei chimed, “Maybe just a bit.”
China’s Concubine Culture Lives On in Mistress Villages|Brendon Hong|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"It was most disgraceful and wicked," chimed in a second lady.
Tom Gerrard|Louis Becke
Thats right, chimed in Jerry, and Bob nodded his head in assent.
The Motor Boys|Clarence Young
“Perhaps England has sent a regiment of Territorials across by the Ostend boat,” chimed in another.
The Day of Wrath|Louis Tracy
"Women do not appear to be generally aware of that fact," we chimed in.
The Art of Amusing|Frank Bellew
"Of course not," chimed in Aunt Maria with real feeling, for she was shocked by the youth's haggard and ghastly face.
Overland|John William De Forest

British Dictionary definitions for chimed

chime

/ (tʃaɪm) /

noun

an individual bell or the sound it makes when struck

(often plural) the machinery employed to sound a bell in this way

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

a harmonious or ringing soundthe chimes of children's laughter

agreement; concord

verb

to sound (a bell) or (of a bell) to be sounded by a clapper or hammer
to produce (music or sounds) by chiming

(tr) to indicate or show (time or the hours) by chiming

(tr) to summon, announce, or welcome by ringing bells

(intr foll by with) to agree or harmonize

to speak or recite in a musical or rhythmic manner

Derived Formschimer, noun

Word Origin for chime

C13: probably shortened from earlier chymbe bell, ultimately from Latin cymbalum cymbal

chime

chimb chine (tʃaɪn)

/ (tʃaɪm) /

noun

the projecting edge or rim of a cask or barrel

Word Origin for chime

Old English cimb-; related to Middle Low German kimme outer edge, Swedish kimb

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

Word Origin and History for chimed

chime

c.1300, chymbe "cymbal," from Old English cymbal, cimbal, also perhaps through Old French chimbe or directly from Latin cymbalum (see cymbal, the modern word for what this word originally meant). Evidently the word was misinterpreted as chymbe bellen (c.1300) and its sense shifted to "chime bells," a meaning attested from mid-15c.

chime

mid-14c., chyme, from chime (n.). Originally of metal, etc.; of voices from late 14c. To chime in originally was musical, "join harmoniously;" of conversation by 1838. Related: Chimed; chiming.

chime

noun

verb (used without object), chimed, chim·ing.

verb (used with object), chimed, chim·ing.

Verb Phrases

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Nearby words

Origin of chime

Examples from the Web for chimed

chime

noun

verb

Word Origin for chime

chime

chimb chine (tʃaɪn)

noun

Word Origin for chime

chime

chime