What does "chime" mean?
A musical instrument producing a sound when struck, similar to a bell (e.g. a tubular metal bar) or actually a bell. Often used in the plural to refer to the set: the chimes.
Chime
noun, verb
noun, verb ·1 syllable ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A musical instrument producing a sound when struck, similar to a bell (e.g. a tubular metal bar) or actually a bell. Often used in the plural to refer to the set: the chimes.
- Grammar: chime is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: bell, gong, peal, toll.
- Useful contrasts: contradict, deviate from, disagree with.
- Usage evidence: About the same time as he entered the classroom and arrived at his seat, the chime to announce class rings across the school.
How to use "chime"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chime" 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 "chime" 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 "chime" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chime" 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 "chime" 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 "bell" 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 "chime", 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 A musical instrument producing a sound when struck, similar to a bell (e.g. a tubular metal bar) or actually a bell. Often used in the plural to refer to the set: the chimes.
"Hugo had a recording of someone playing the chimes against a background of surf noise that she found calming."
- 2 Alternative form of chine (“edge of a cask; part of a ship; etc.”). alt-of, alternative
"Let the chimes meet so that the chime of one cask shall not work into the head of the next."
- 3 a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrument wordnet
- 4 An individual ringing component of such a set.
"Peter removed the C♯ chime from its mounting so that he could get at the dust that had accumulated underneath."
- 5 A small bell or other ringing or tone-making device as a component of some other device.
"The professor had stuffed a wad of gum into the chime of his doorbell so that he wouldn't be bothered."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 The sound of such an instrument or device.
"The copier gave a chime to indicate that it had finished printing."
- 7 A small hammer or other device used to strike a bell.
"Strike the bell with the brass chime hanging on the chain next to it."
Verb
- 1 To make the sound of a chime. intransitive
"The microwave chimed to indicate that it was done cooking."
- 2 emit a sound wordnet
- 3 To cause to sound in harmony; to play a tune, as upon a set of bells; to move or strike in harmony. transitive
"And chime their sounding hammers."
- 4 To utter harmoniously; to recite rhythmically. transitive
"Chime his childish verse."
- 5 To agree; to correspond. intransitive
"The other lab's results chimed with mine, so I knew we were on the right track with the research."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To make a rude correspondence of sounds; to jingle, as in rhyming.
"It shall not keep one settled pace of time, In the same tune it shall not always chime"
Antonyms
Example
"About the same time as he entered the classroom and arrived at his seat, the chime to announce class rings across the school."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chime"?
Common synonyms include: bell, gong, peal, toll, accord, accord with.
How do you use "chime" in a sentence?
About the same time as he entered the classroom and arrived at his seat, the chime to announce class rings across the school.
Etymology
From Middle English chime, chim, chimbe, chymbe, a shortening of chimbelle (misinterpreted as chymme-belle, chimbe-belle), from Old English ċimbala, ċimbal (“cymbal”), from Latin cymbalum.