chant

1 of 2

verb

ˈchant How to pronounce chant (audio)
chanted; chanting; chants
Synonyms of chantnext

intransitive verb

1
: to make melodic sounds with the voice
especially : to sing a chant
2
: to recite something in a monotonous repetitive tone
protesters were chanting outside

transitive verb

1
: to utter as in chanting
2
: to celebrate or praise in song or chant

chant

2 of 2

noun

1
: song sense 1
2
a
: plainsong
b
: a rhythmic monotonous utterance or song
c
: a composition for chanting

Synonyms

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of chant in a Sentence

Verb The crowd began chanting her name. They chanted “Sara, Sara” until she came back on stage. Protesters were chanting outside the governor's home. They were chanting in Arabic. Priests chanted the Catholic Mass in Latin. Noun Our chant was “Peace now, peace now!”. Chant is often used as a form of meditation and prayer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The actor received a warm reception to his first directorial effort in 11 years at the festival on Sunday with the crowd chanting and clapping for between 7 and 11 minutes, which brought the 69-year-old to tears, as seen in video shared by Variety. —Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 20 May 2024 Every contestant also received a super clue after their performance, and Gumball’s came in the form of a cheerleader who led the crowd in chanting his name. —Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 16 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for chant 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English chaunten, from Anglo-French chanter, from Latin cantare, frequentative of canere to sing; akin to Old English hana rooster, Old Irish canid he sings

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of chant was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing chant

Dictionary Entries Near chant

chanst

chant

chantable

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Cite this Entry

“Chant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chant. Accessed 28 May. 2024.

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Kids Definition

chant

1 of 2 verb
ˈchant How to pronounce chant (audio)
1
: to sing especially in the way a chant is sung
2
: to recite or speak with no change in tone
chanter noun

chant

2 of 2 noun
1
: a melody in which several words or syllables are sung in one tone
2
: something spoken in the style of a chant
Etymology

Verb

Middle English chaunten "to chant," from early French chanter (same meaning), derived from Latin canere "to sing" — related to cant entry 3, cantata, chantey, charm

More from Merriam-Webster on chant

Nglish: Translation of chant for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of chant for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chant

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