charm
attractive, pleasing quality
A nice and special quality that makes you really like a person, place, or thing.
[someone]/[something] has (a lot of) charm
- The town has a certain charm that keeps tourists coming back every year.
- Her quiet charm made everyone feel relaxed around her.
- Over time, the novelty of the job lost its charm.
- The old house still retains much of its original charm.
- He fell in love with the simple charm of country life.
- The small café has a lot of charm.
- Her smile is part of her charm.
- The city is big, but it has no charm for me.
- We enjoyed the charm of the old streets.
- His stories add charm to the evening.
small decorative or lucky object
A small thing you wear or carry that looks nice and may bring good luck.
a charm on [something]
- She wears a little horseshoe charm on her necklace.
- He always carries a rabbit's foot as a lucky charm before big games.
- The bracelet is covered in charms from all the countries she has visited.
- He slipped a small wooden charm into his pocket for good luck.
- Each charm on the bracelet marks a different moment in her life.
- This ring is my lucky charm.
- She has a star charm on her bracelet.
- He keeps a small charm in his wallet.
- My grandmother gave me this gold charm.
- I bought a new charm for my bracelet.
to delight and attract someone
To make someone like you a lot by being very nice or interesting.
[someone]/[something] charms [someone]
- The speaker charmed the audience with her funny stories.
- He quickly charmed everyone at the party.
- The village completely charmed us with its narrow streets and cafés.
- She knows how to charm even the most serious clients.
- The puppy charmed the children as soon as they saw it.
- The baby charmed all the people on the train.
- He charmed my parents with his polite words.
- The small town charmed us on our first day there.
- Her voice charmed the listeners.
- The film charmed many young viewers.
power to influence by being pleasant
The special way a person can make others like them and do what they want by being very nice.
[someone] uses [their] charm (to [do something])
- He used his charm to get a better deal.
- Politicians often rely on charm as much as on ideas.
- She turned on the charm during the job interview.
- His charm and confidence made investors feel safe.
- The company sent its most senior manager, hoping his charm would win the contract.
- He used his charm to sell many cars.
- She turned on the charm to get a free drink.
- They trusted him because of his charm.
- The actor's charm helped him get the role.
- You cannot always get what you want with charm.
magic spell or words
Words or special actions that people think have magic power to change things or bring luck.
cast a charm on [someone]/[something]
- The amulet was said to carry a powerful charm against evil.
- The witch whispered a charm to keep the storms away.
- In the story, the hero breaks the charm by speaking his true name.
- She wore a charm to protect her on long journeys.
- The old book describes charms used for healing.
- In the film, the boy uses a charm to stop the monster.
- The old woman teaches her a charm for good luck.
- They believe this stone has a charm that keeps them safe.
- A magic charm turns the frog into a prince.
- He reads a charm from the book.
to control by magic spell
To use magic on a person or thing so it does what you want.
charm [someone]/[something]
- The magician claimed he could charm the snake with his flute.
- In the legend, a sorcerer charms the castle so no one can enter.
- They tried to charm the spirits with songs and offerings.
- A witch had charmed the prince and turned him into a beast.
- The door was charmed so that only the chosen one could open it.
- The wizard charms the dragon in the story.
- She charms the door so it will not open.
- In the game, you can charm animals to help you.
- The witch charms the boy and he forgets his name.
- They charm the house to keep out ghosts.
type of quark in physics
In physics, one special kind of very small particle, called a quark, or the property of that particle.
a charm quark
- The charm quark was one of the first heavy quarks to be discovered.
- Physicists study particles like the charm quark to understand the strong force.
- The experiment produced pairs of charm and anti-charm quarks.
- In this lesson, we learn about the charm quark.
- A charm quark is much smaller than an atom.
- Scientists use large machines to study charm quarks.
- Base: charm
- Plural: charm, charms
- Base: charm
- 3rd Person Singular: charms
- Present Participle: charming
- Past: charmed
charm offensive
1friendly campaign to win support
A planned way of being very friendly to many people so that they will support you or like you.
- The company launched a charm offensive to win back unhappy customers.
- After the scandal, the politician went on a charm offensive.
- The team is on a charm offensive to attract new sponsors.
charm school
1school for manners and poise
A place or course where people learn how to behave politely and look good in social situations.
- He joked that she must have gone to charm school.
- Some companies send their staff to a kind of charm school for customer service.
- The class was like a modern charm school, teaching students how to speak and dress professionally.
lay on the charm
1behave in a very charming way
To act very, very nice and charming, in a way that seems planned.
- He really laid on the charm during the meeting with her parents.
- She laid on the charm to convince them to donate.
- You don't need to lay on the charm; just be yourself.
turn on the charm
1suddenly act very charming
To suddenly act very nice and friendly so that someone will like you or give you what you want.
- He turned on the charm when the boss walked into the room.
- She knows how to turn on the charm with difficult customers.
- As soon as the cameras started, the politician turned on the charm.
work like a charm
1to work perfectly and smoothly
To work very well, with no problems.
- I tried the new software, and it worked like a charm.
- The medicine worked like a charm and my headache was gone in minutes.
- Her plan worked like a charm, and they all said yes.
lucky charm
1object believed to bring luck
An object that people think brings them good luck.
- She always wears her necklace as a lucky charm.
- She always wears her lucky charm during exams.
- This old coin is my lucky charm.
- He kissed his lucky charm before walking onto the field.
- My grandmother gave me this coin as a lucky charm.
third time's a charm
1Success likely on third try
People say this when they believe they will succeed on their third try at something after failing twice before.
- I failed my driving test twice, but the third time's a charm!
- I failed the test twice, but third time's a charm.
- Don't give up—third time's a charm.
- We didn't win the last two games, but third time's a charm, right?
- He asked her out twice with no luck, but he said, "Third time's a charm."