The door had been tied shut with a length of nylon cord.
...gilded cords and tassels.
Synonyms: rope, line, string, twine More Synonyms of cord
2. variable noun
Cord is wire covered in rubber or plastic which connects electrical equipment to an electricity supply.
...electrical cord.
We used so many lights that we needed four extension cords.
3. plural noun [oft a pair ofNOUN]
Cords are trousers made of corduroy.
He had bare feet, a T-shirt and cords on.
4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Cord means made of corduroy.
...a pair of cord trousers.
5. See also spinal cord, umbilical cord, vocal cords
cord in British English
(kɔːd)
noun
1.
string or thin rope made of several twisted strands
2.
a length of woven or twisted strands of silk, etc, sewn on clothing or used as a belt
3.
a ribbed fabric, esp corduroy
4.
any influence that binds or restrains
5. US and Canadian
a flexible insulated electric cable, used esp to connect appliances to mains
Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): flex
6. anatomy
any part resembling a string or rope
the spinal cord
7.
a unit of volume for measuring cut wood, equal to 128 cubic feet
verb(transitive)
8.
to bind or furnish with a cord or cords
9.
to stack (wood) in cords
Derived forms
corder (ˈcorder)
noun
cordlike (ˈcordˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old French corde, from Latin chorda cord, from Greek khordē; see chord1
cord in American English
(kɔrd)
noun
1.
a thick string or thin rope
2.
any force acting as a tie or bond
3.
a measure of wood cut for fuel, equal to 128 cubic feet (3.6 m3), as arranged in a pile 8 feet (2.4 m) long, 4 feet (1.2 m) high, and 4 feet (1.2 m) wide
see also face cord
4.
a.
a rib on the surface of a fabric
b.
cloth with a ribbed surface; corduroy
c. [pl.]
corduroy trousers
5. Anatomy
any part resembling a cord
the spinal cord, vocal cords, umbilical cord
6. Electricity
a slender, flexible, insulated electrical cable, as one fitted at one end with an electrical plug to connect a lamp to an outlet
verb transitive
7.
to fasten, connect, or provide with a cord or cords
8.
to stack (wood) in cords
Word origin
ME & OFr corde < L chorda < Gr chordē, catgut, chord, cord < IE base *gher-, intestine > yarn; (sense 3) from use of a cord in measuring
More idioms containing
cord
cut the umbilical cord
Examples of 'cord' in a sentence
cord
By the time they got there the implement had damaged her vocal cords and reached her upper stomach.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
US sources say she got sick and decided to rest her vocal cords.
The Sun (2016)
Take cord up the blind through rings and leave hanging.
Churchill, Jane (ed.) Collins Complete Books of Soft Furnishings (1993)
Radio control was substituted for the umbilical cord cable which could become entangled.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The nylon cord with which the family were bound was of a common variety.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Measure and cut the cord as before.
Churchill, Jane (ed.) Collins Complete Books of Soft Furnishings (1993)
The disease strikes when nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord stop working.
The Sun (2016)
Also, to bind tightly with cords.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He's had an op on his vocal cords.
The Sun (2013)
People think the worst thing about a spinal cord injury is the fact your legs don't work.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Their success is only due to some abnormality of the vocal cords, a kind of throat disease.
Susie Gilbert and Jay Shir A TALE OF FOUR HOUSES: Opera at Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna and the Met since1945 (2003)
A nylon cord was around her neck.
The Sun (2012)
This represents 1000 cords of wood worth $40 per cord net of costs of cutting and hauling.
Charles A. D'Ambrosio & Stewart D. Hodges & Richard Brealey & Stewart Myers Principles of Corporate Finance (1991)
Obviously, when somebody sustains a spinal cord injury it is a strange, unknown world.
The Sun (2013)
Nowadays, such a person is probably talking to a friend on a mobile phone, coils of connecting cords growing out of his ears.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
It took ten men to subdue him and when police arrived they found him still struggling, tied to a chair with electrical cord and asking for Chantal.
Richard Bath Notorious: The Maddest and Baddest Sportsmen on the Planet (2006)
Word lists with
cord
fabric
In other languages
cord
British English: cord NOUN
Cord is strong, thick string.
The door had been tied shut with a length of nylon cord.
American English: cord
Brazilian Portuguese: corda
Chinese: 绳索
European Spanish: cuerda
French: corde
German: Schnur
Italian: corda
Japanese: 綱
Korean: 끈
European Portuguese: cordão
Latin American Spanish: cuerda
All related terms of 'cord'
face cord
a measure of wood cut for fuel , as arranged in a pile 8 feet wide , 4 feet high, and with pieces 12 to 18 inches in length
net cord
a cord that passes along and supports the top of a tennis net
pull cord
a cord attached to a blind , light switch , appliance , curtain etc which is pulled to operate it
rip cord
a cord fastened to the gas bag of a balloon or dirigible in such a way that pulling it opens the bag, releasing gas and causing a rapid descent
sash cord
a strong cord connecting a sash weight to a sliding sash
bungee cord
a type of stretchy rope consisting of elastic strands often in a fabric casing . Bungee cords may be used in parachuting , bungee jumping or to secure loads . Ones used for securing loads often have hooks on either end.
cord blood
blood from the placenta drawn through the newly severed umbilical cord , collected for study or for possible transfusion to treat disease in the child
cord carpet
a type of carpet with a ribbed surface
nerve cord
a single hollow tract of nervous tissue that constitutes the central nervous system of chordates and develops into the spinal cord and brain in vertebrates
piping cord
Cord that is covered in fabric and used to decorate a seam
spinal cord
Your spinal cord is a thick cord of nerves inside your spine which connects your brain to nerves in all parts of your body.
Bedford cord
a heavy corded cloth , similar to corduroy
extension cord
an extra length of cable that can be added to an electric lead
spermatic cord
a cord in many male mammals that passes from each testis to the abdominal cavity and contains the spermatic artery and vein , vas deferens, and lymphatics
umbilical cord
The umbilical cord is the tube that connects an unborn baby to its mother, through which it receives oxygen and food.
communication cord
a cord or chain in a train which may be pulled by a passenger to stop the train in an emergency
cut sb's umbilical cord
If you say that one person, organization, or country has cut its umbilical cord with another, you mean that they have done something that makes them more independent .