Meanings
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1
noun
a melodious ringing sound, or a set of tuned bells or metal bars that produces it
The clock's midnight chime carried across the empty square.
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2
verb
to make a clear, musical ringing sound
The church bells chimed as the procession began.
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3
verb
to join a conversation with a remark, especially in the phrase chime in
Maya chimed in with a practical suggestion.
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4
verb
to agree or be consistent with something
His account does not chime with the evidence collected at the scene.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English chime, a shortening of chimbelle, a word for a set of bells. Chimbelle developed from Old English cimbala, 'cymbal,' borrowed from Latin cymbalum and ultimately Greek kymbalon. The figurative senses of joining in or agreeing arose from voices or ideas sounding harmoniously together.