chrome

1 of 3

noun

ˈkrōm How to pronounce chrome (audio)
Simplify
1
a
: chromium
b
: a chromium pigment
2
: something plated with an alloy of chromium

chrome

2 of 3

verb

chromed; chroming

transitive verb

1
: to treat with a compound of chromium (as in dyeing)
2
: chromize

-chrome

3 of 3

noun combining form or adjective combining form

ˌkrōm
1
: colored thing
heliochrome
2
: coloring matter
urochrome

Examples of chrome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The azul and chrome won the round of 16 opener 3-2 at Snapdragon Stadium, holding on despite playing down one man for the most of the match and down two men for the final minutes of regulation and all of stoppage time. —Apress, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026 Simple glitter nails have evolved into glimmering lacquers, magnetic velvet polishes, and iridescent chrome powders. —Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026 The circular black granite table with chrome legs that rolled around in his office? —Isabella Milano, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2026 Elsewhere, deeper valances and vented sill covers help to smooth airflow, chrome parts—such as the bumpers and grille—are ceramic-coated, and all lights are upgraded to super-bright LEDs. —Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chrome

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from French chrôme, borrowed from Greek chrôma "color" — more at -chrome

Note: Name introduced by the French chemist Louis Nicolas Vauquelin (1763-1829) in "Du plomb rouge de Sibérie, et expériences sur le nouveau métal qu'il contient," Journal des mines, Messidor, An V [vol. 6, June-July, 1797], pp. 737-60. Vauquelin notes that a word meaning "color"—originally suggested to him by the mineralogist René-Just Haüy—is fitting for the metal not because it has a distinctive color itself, but because the combinations into which it enters with oxygen (as a green oxide and red acid) are remarkable for their colors.

Verb

derivative of chrome entry 1

Noun combining form or adjective combining form

borrowed from Greek -chrōmos "having a color (of the kind specified by the initial element)," adjective derivative of chrōmat-, chrôma "skin, complexion, color," from chrō- (the base of an s-stem *chrowos-, whence chrṓs "surface of the body, skin, flesh, complexion, color," of obscure origin) + -ma, resultative noun suffix

Note: The form *chrowos- is reconstructed on the basis of Mycenaean a-ko-ro-we-e "without spots" (or "of one color"). While chrṓs can be contracted directly from a nominative *chrowṓs, the Homeric accusative chróa, genitive chroós assume *chrowós-a, *chrowos-ós, with hyphaeresis of the second vowel of the stem.

First Known Use

Noun

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chrome was in 1800

Phrases Containing chrome

Rhymes for chrome

See All Rhymes for chrome

Browse Nearby Words

chromatype
chrome
-chrome
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chrome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chrome. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.

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Kids Definition

chrome

noun
ˈkrōm
1
a
: chromium
b
: a chromium pigment
2
: something plated with an alloy of chromium

Medical Definition

chrome

noun
ˈkrōm How to pronounce chrome (audio)
1
: chromium
2
: a chromium pigment

More from Merriam-Webster on chrome

Nglish: Translation of chrome for Spanish Speakers

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