chronicle
Americannoun
-
chronicles
plural
verb (used with object)
-
chronicles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chronicled,
past participle, past
-
chronicling
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chroniclesimple
-
chroniclessimple
-
have chronicledperfect
-
has chronicledperfect
-
am chroniclingprogressive
-
are chroniclingprogressive
-
is chroniclingprogressive
-
have been chroniclingperfect progressive
-
has been chroniclingperfect progressive
Past
-
chronicledsimple
-
had chronicledperfect
-
was chroniclingprogressive
-
were chroniclingprogressive
-
had been chroniclingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chronicle
1275–1325; Middle English cronicle < Anglo-French, variant, with -le -ule, of Old French cronique < Medieval Latin cronica (feminine singular), Latin chronica (neuter plural) < Greek chroniká annals, chronology; see chronic
Explanation
To chronicle an event is to record it as it happens, and a chronicle is a record of those events. If your grandmother took the time to chronicle the details of her 1910 journey to Japan, you can read her chronicle today. To chronicle something is to describe past or current events. Chronicle is related to chronological and comes from the Greek ta khronika, which means “annals of time.” Events are usually chronicled in the order in which they occurred. The noun chronicle is a record of things that happened — told in chronological order, like the diary you kept in elementary school. It is a chronicle of those years.
Vocabulary lists containing chronicle
It's About Time: Chron and Temp
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"The Gift of the Magi"
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The Skin I'm In
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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:
News helicopters are a vital part of news gathering in Southern California, helping chronicle brush fires, mass shootings and, of course, police pursuits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
In this monthly Retirement Rookies column, the 69-year-olds chronicle some of the issues they are dealing with early in retirement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Like many of the best covers, Harris sings this young girl’s chronicle of her long-suffering mother’s sacrifices with such natural assurance that you’d think “To Daddy” had been written for her.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
So did this project start out as a chronicle of discovery and processing this information with your dad?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
It would make a great chapter for my chronicle.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
In Rent, Matarazzo plays struggling film-maker Mark, who chronicles and narrates the lives of his friends.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Documentarian Alex Gibney chronicles the attack on—and recovery of—the acclaimed author, a target of the Iranian regime for decades due to his novel ‘The Satanic Verses.’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The manuscript, which includes the daughter’s blurry Polaroid snapshots and postcards from their travels, chronicles the pair’s trials, adventures and conversations as they pursue Nanna’s past and their own futures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
"Katseye: Wild Hearts," which chronicles the pop girl group by the same name, came in fifth place, earning $3.6 million for Trafalgar Releasing on its opening weekend.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
They disagree on which social factors to emphasize and on how much weight to assign individual Spanish chronicles, but the outline seems not in serious dispute.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
The scandal fueled a media circus and was chronicled in a book, multiple podcasts, and the biographical mini-series "The Dropout" that starred Amanda Seyfried.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Michael Burry, the contrarian ex-hedge-fund manager chronicled in The Big Short, is selling his top holding at an 8.5-year low.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
If we’re to believe what’s chronicled in “Freefall” by former Boeing employees, aviation experts, crash investigators and the families of those who perished in the 737 Max crashes, there’s already a thin line of accountability.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Renowned walker Cameron McNeish chronicled his journey from the most northerly point, Rubha Hunish, along the Trotternish Ridge, through the iconic Cuillin hills, to finish 70 miles away at Broadford.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Escalante, whose efforts were chronicled in the film Stand and Deliver, did it by turning his class into an important symbol of status.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
It looks like just another Tiktoker chronicling her breakup for the world to see.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
It was restarted from scratch in 2013 with a new trilogy dubbed "Survivor", chronicling the adventures of a younger, less experienced Lara.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
The journalist Michael Wolff, who has been chronicling Trump for years, says he obtained both letters while writing a book about the president’s 2024 campaign.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
Eventually, he said, he was contributing weekly columns to Sp!ts, a free commuter newspaper in Amsterdam, chronicling his growing infatuation with the sport.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
In resigning themselves to the role of chronicling ever-changing usage, they are acknowledging the wisdom of Thomas Carlyle’s famous reply to Margaret Fuller’s statement “I accept the universe”: “Gad! She’d better.”
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
