cord

1 of 2

noun

ˈkȯrd 

1

a

: a long slender flexible material usually consisting of several strands (as of thread or yarn) woven or twisted together

b

: the hangman's rope

2

: a moral, spiritual, or emotional bond

3

a

: an anatomical structure (such as a nerve or tendon) resembling a cord

especially : umbilical cord sense 1a

b

: a small flexible insulated electrical cable having a plug at one or both ends used to connect a lamp or other appliance with a receptacle

4

: a unit of wood cut for fuel equal to a stack 4 x 4 x 8 feet or 128 cubic feet

5

a

: a rib like a cord on a textile

b(1)

: a fabric made with such ribs or a garment made of such a fabric

(2)

cords plural : trousers made of such a fabric

cord

2 of 2

verb

corded; cording; cords

transitive verb

1

: to furnish, bind, or connect with a cord

2

: to pile up (wood) in cords

corder noun

Synonyms

Noun

• cable
• lace
• lacing
• line
• rope
• string
• wire

Examples of cord in a Sentence

Noun

She wore the key on a cord around her neck.

They used cords to tie the tent to the trees.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The base has a wrap-around cord which allows for easy storage, and the 1,100 watts of power brings water to a boil in minutes. —Michelle Love, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2025

The new design started trickling into stylist hands at Fashion Week about a year ago, but a consumer version is just now becoming available to the masses with exactly the same features as the professional edition—just with a slightly shorter cord. —Marci Robin, Allure, 5 Mar. 2025

Verb

Do the most for the least tern in Huntington Beach Volunteers are needed 9 a.m. Saturday at Huntington State Beach to install cording along the fence around California least tern nests. —Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2025

Some are flat like cleaning rags and others are corded and looped like a regular mop. —Lauren Finney Harden, Southern Living, 12 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cord, corde, borrowed from Anglo-French corde "string, rope," going back to Latin chorda, corda "tripe, string of a musical instrument," borrowed from Greek khordḗ "catgut, string of a musical instrument, sausage," in plural "guts, tripe" — more at yarn entry 1

Verb

Middle English corden "to string a bow," in part derivative of cord, corde cord entry 1, in part borrowed from Anglo-French corder "to tie with a cord"

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cord

• Bedford cord
• bungee cord
• cord cutter
• cord cutting
• extension cord
• face cord
• nerve cord
• patch cord
• rip cord
• silver cord
• spermatic cord
• spinal cord
• umbilical cord

Rhymes for cord

• board
• bored
• chord
• corde
• cored
• fjord
• floored
• gored
• gourd
• hoard
• horde
• lord

Kids Definition

cord

1 of 2 noun

ˈkȯ(ə)rd 

1

: material like a small thin rope that is used mostly for tying things

2

: a bodily structure (as a tendon or nerve) resembling a cord

especially : umbilical cord

3

: a small flexible insulated electrical cable with a plug at one or both ends used for connecting an appliance to an outlet

4

: an amount of firewood equal to a pile of wood 4 × 4 × 8 feet or 128 cubic feet (about 3.6 cubic meters)

5

a

: a rib like a cord on a fabric

b

: a fabric with such ribs

cord

2 of 2 verb

1

: to supply, bind, or connect with a cord

2

: to pile up wood in cords

Medical Definition

cord

noun

ˈkȯ(ə)rd 

1

: a long slender flexible material usually consisting of several strands (as of thread or yarn) woven or twisted together

2

: a slender flexible anatomical structure (as a nerve) see spermatic cord, spinal cord, umbilical cord, vocal cord sense 1