chord

¹ American  

[kawrd] / kɔrd /

noun

1. a feeling or emotion.

   His story struck a chord of pity in the listeners.

2. Geometry. the line segment between two points on a given curve.

3. Engineering, Building Trades. a principal member of a truss extending from end to end, usually one of a pair of such members, more or less parallel and connected by a web composed of various compression and tension members.

4. Aeronautics. a straight line joining the trailing and leading edges of an airfoil section.

5. Anatomy. cord.

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chord ² American  

[kawrd] / kɔrd /

noun

1. a combination of usually three or more musical tones sounded simultaneously.

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verb (used with object)

1. to establish or play a chord or chords for (a particular harmony or song); harmonize or voice.

   How would you chord that in B flat?

chord ¹ British  

/ kɔːd /

noun

1. the simultaneous sounding of a group of musical notes, usually three or more in number See concord discord

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verb

1. (tr) to provide (a melodic line) with chords

chord ² British  

/ kɔːd /

noun

1. maths

   1. a straight line connecting two points on a curve or curved surface

   2. the line segment lying between two points of intersection of a straight line and a curve or curved surface

2. engineering one of the principal members of a truss, esp one that lies along the top or the bottom

3. anatomy a variant spelling of cord

4. an emotional response, esp one of sympathy

   the story struck the right chord

5. an imaginary straight line joining the leading edge and the trailing edge of an aerofoil

6. archaic the string of a musical instrument

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chord Scientific  

/ kôrd /

1. A line segment that joins two points on a curve.

2. A straight line connecting the leading and trailing edges of an airfoil.

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chord Cultural  

1. In music, the sound of three or more notes played at the same time. The history of Western music is marked by an increase in complexity of the chords composers use.

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chord Idioms  

1. see strike a chord.

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Other Word Forms

• chordal adjective
• chorded adjective

Etymology

Origin of chord¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin chorda < Greek chordḗ gut, string; replacing cord in senses given

Origin of chord²

1350–1400; earlier cord, Middle English, short for accord; ch- from chord ¹

Example Sentences

While he didn’t have any updates for her, the conversation with Jessica apparently struck a chord, and he asked a homicide detective named Anthony Stafford to review Cynthia’s case.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

"I think it's really struck a chord with how people are feeling in the world right now - the world is in quite a stressy place," Rigden said.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

He says, “Well, I listened to El DeBarge, ‘Time Will Reveal’ — whatever that diminished C chord is — and that’s where that inspiration came from.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

So the quiet act of solidarity by an ordinary father standing by his daughter has struck a chord online, drawing millions of views and widespread praise.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

If the third of the chord is the lowest note, the chord is in first inversion.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• arc
• arch
• contour
• loop
• trajectory