What does "charm" mean?
An object, act or words believed to have magic power (usually carries a positive connotation).
Charm
/tʃɑːm/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An object, act or words believed to have magic power (usually carries a positive connotation).
- Grammar: charm is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: appeal, abracadabra, absorb, absorb the attention.
- Useful contrasts: aesthetic disgust, banish, bore.
- Usage evidence: The charm of Kyoto consists of the beauty of its old temples.
How to use "charm"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "charm" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "charm" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "charm" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "charm" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "charm" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "appeal" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "charm", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An object, act or words believed to have magic power (usually carries a positive connotation). countable, uncountable
"a charm against evil"
- 2 The mixed sound of many voices, especially of birds or children.
"[…]Free libertie to chaunt our charmes at will:[…]"
- 3 something believed to bring good luck wordnet
- 4 The ability to persuade, delight or arouse admiration. countable, in-plural, often, uncountable
"He had great personal charm."
- 5 A flock, group (especially of finches).
"A charm of finches flew overhead, singing into the vivid afternoon sky."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates wordnet
- 7 A small trinket on a bracelet or chain, etc., traditionally supposed to confer luck upon the wearer. countable, uncountable
"She wears a charm bracelet on her wrist."
- 8 (physics) one of the six flavors of quark, the third most massive of all quarks wordnet
- 9 The collective noun for a group of goldfinches. countable, uncountable
- 10 a verbal formula believed to have magical force wordnet
- 11 A quantum number of hadrons determined by the number of charm quarks and antiquarks. countable, particle, uncountable
"In trying to understand the long life of the psi particle, physicists postulated the notion of “charm.” Charm, they say, prevents the “easy” decay of particles and thus prolongs their lifetimes. U particles, Dr. Pert said, may carry the property of charm."
- 12 A second-order measure of derivative price sensitivity, expressed as the instantaneous rate of change of delta with respect to time. countable, uncountable
- 13 An icon providing quick access to a command or setting. countable, uncountable
"Undoubtedly one of the most important pieces to navigating Windows 8, charms are actually not visible until a command to show them is given."
Verb
- 1 To seduce, persuade or fascinate someone or something.
"He charmed her with his dashing tales of his days as a sailor."
- 2 induce into action by using one's charm wordnet
- 3 To use a magical charm upon; to subdue, control, or summon by incantation or supernatural influence; to ensorcel or exert a magical effect on. transitive
"After winning three games while wearing the chain, Dan began to think it had been charmed."
- 4 protect through supernatural powers or charms wordnet
- 5 To protect with, or make invulnerable by, spells, charms, or supernatural influences.
"She led a charmed life."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 attract; cause to be enamored wordnet
- 7 To make music upon. obsolete, rare
"But ah my corage cooles ere it be warme, / For thy, content vs in thys humble ſhade: / Where no ſuch troublous tydes han vs aſſayde, / Here we our ſlender pipes may ſafely charme."
- 8 control by magic spells, as by practicing witchcraft wordnet
- 9 To subdue or overcome by some secret power, or by that which gives pleasure; to allay; to soothe.
"Music the fierceſt griefs can charm, / And fate's ſevereſt rage diſarm: […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The charm of Kyoto consists of the beauty of its old temples."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "charm"?
Common synonyms include: appeal, abracadabra, absorb, absorb the attention, adorability, agacerie.
How do you use "charm" in a sentence?
The charm of Kyoto consists of the beauty of its old temples.
How do you pronounce "charm"?
Pronounced /tʃɑːm/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English charme, from Old French charme (“chant, magic spell”), from Latin carmen (“song, incantation”).
Etymology 2
Synchronically a variant of chirm, but reflects Middle English charme (or unattested *charm), from Old English ċearm (“cry, alarm”), from Proto-West Germanic *karm, masculine variant of *karmi f, from Proto-Germanic *karmiz, *karm(j)az (“cry, lament, calling sound”). Near-doublet of chirm, which is from the feminine counterpart.