charm
gb/t͡ʃˈɑɹm/ us/t͡ʃˈɑɹm/
B1
Inglese
~ 6000
Accezioni
0 accezioni
Sostantivo
B2
property
1
attractive, pleasing quality
A nice and special quality that makes you really like a person, place, or thing.
Schema d'uso:
[someone]/[something] has (a lot of) charm
Errore comune:
Learners sometimes confuse "charm" with "charmer." "Charm" is the pleasant quality; a "charmer" is a person who has or uses that quality. Also, some learners overuse "charm" when "beauty" or "attraction" would be more natural for purely physical looks.
Sinonimi
appeal (Slightly more general; can sound more neutral and less warm than "charm.")
Contrari
repulsiveness (Emphasizes a strong unpleasant quality that pushes people away instead of attracting them.)
Collocazioni
natural charm
|personal charm
|old-world charm
|subtle charm
|full of charm
|loses its charm
Temi
emotions
|personality
|art
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- 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.
Esempi per chi studia
- 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.
Sostantivo
B1
entity
2
small decorative or lucky object
A small thing you wear or carry that looks nice and may bring good luck.
Schema d'uso:
a charm on [something]
Errore comune:
Learners may confuse this noun sense with the general quality of being charming. A "lucky charm" is a physical object; "charm" as a quality cannot be held or worn. Also, "charm bracelet" is a fixed phrase; do not say *"bracelet of charms" in most everyday contexts.
Sinonimi
talisman (More formal and strongly connected to magic or spiritual protection rather than simple decoration.)
Collocazioni
lucky charm
|good-luck charm
|charm bracelet
|silver charm
|tiny charm
|collect charms
Temi
fashion
|beliefs
|daily life
|daily_life
|clothing
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- 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.
Esempi per chi studia
- 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.
Verbo
B2
action
3
to delight and attract someone
To make someone like you a lot by being very nice or interesting.
Schema d'uso:
[someone]/[something] charms [someone]
Errore comune:
Learners sometimes say *"charm to someone" instead of "charm someone." The verb is normally used with a direct object: "He charmed the crowd," not *"He charmed to the crowd." Also, "charm" is more natural for warm, personal attraction; for physical looks alone, verbs like "attract" or "impress" may be more common.
Sinonimi
delight (Focuses more on giving great pleasure; "charm" also includes winning someone's liking or affection.)
Contrari
repel (Means to push people away or make them dislike you, the opposite of attracting them.)
Collocazioni
charm the audience
|charm customers
|charm her parents
|charm his way into
|instantly charm
|completely charm
Temi
emotions
|social
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- 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.
Esempi per chi studia
- 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.
Sostantivo
B2
property
4
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.
Schema d'uso:
[someone] uses [their] charm (to [do something])
Errore comune:
Learners sometimes confuse this with simple physical beauty. "Charm" here is about social power and the way someone behaves, not just how they look. Also, do not say *"make a charm" when you mean "use your charm."
Sinonimi
charisma (Often suggests a strong, almost magnetic personal power, sometimes linked to leadership or fame.)
Contrari
off-puttingness (Describes a quality that makes people not want to be near you, the opposite of drawing them in.)
Collocazioni
use his charm
|turn on the charm
|rely on her charm
|winning charm
|personal charm
|social charm
Temi
social
|relationships
|business
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- 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.
Esempi per chi studia
- 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.
Sostantivo
B2
entity
5
magic spell or words
Words or special actions that people think have magic power to change things or bring luck.
Schema d'uso:
cast a charm on [someone]/[something]
Errore comune:
Learners sometimes translate a general word for "magic" as "charm." A "charm" is usually a small spell with a specific purpose, often for luck or protection, not all types of magic. For general magic, "magic" or "spell" is more natural.
Sinonimi
spell (More general and common word for magic words or actions; "charm" often suggests a lighter or protective effect.)
Contrari
curse (A magic spell intended to bring harm, contrasting with a charm, which is usually meant to help or protect.)
Collocazioni
magic charm
|protective charm
|cast a charm
|ancient charm
|love charm
|charm against evil
Temi
fantasy
|religion
|folklore
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- 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.
Esempi per chi studia
- 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.
Verbo
B2
action
6
to control by magic spell
To use magic on a person or thing so it does what you want.
Schema d'uso:
charm [someone]/[something]
Errore comune:
Learners may mix this magical sense with the everyday social sense of "charm" meaning "to please." If there is no magic in the context, use the social sense (e.g., "He charmed the crowd"). If magic is clearly involved, this is the correct sense.
Sinonimi
bewitch (Often sounds stronger and more clearly magical; can also suggest full control.)
Contrari
disenchant (Means to remove a magic spell or remove someone's illusion, undoing the effect of the charm.)
Collocazioni
charm a snake
|charm away evil
|charm the spirits
|charm the demons
|charm the door shut
Temi
fantasy
|religion
|folklore
|arts_entertainment
Esempi
- 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.
Esempi per chi studia
- 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.
Sostantivo
technical
C1
entity
7
type of quark in physics
In physics, one special kind of very small particle, called a quark, or the property of that particle.
Schema d'uso:
a charm quark
Errore comune:
Learners may think this is related to being attractive, but in physics "charm" is just a technical name for a kind of quark and its property.
Collocazioni
charm quark
|charm particle
|charm and strange
|bottom and charm
Temi
science
|physics
Esempi
- 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.
Esempi per chi studia
- 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.
Grammatica
Forma base
charm
IPA
GB/t͡ʃˈɑɹm/
US/t͡ʃˈɑɹm/
Sillabe e accento
charm (1 sillaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (charm)
Forme flesse
Noun
- Base: charm
- Plural: charm, charms
Verb
- Base: charm
- 3rd Person Singular: charms
- Present Participle: charming
- Past: charmed
Famiglia di parole
Forms
Related words
charmer
noun
charmingly
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
charmless
adjective
Espressioni
charm offensive
1/t͡ʃˈɑɹm əfˈɛnsɪv/
fixed phrase
friendly campaign to win support
A planned way of being very friendly to many people so that they will support you or like you.
Esempi
- 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
1/t͡ʃˈɑɹm skˈul/
fixed phrase
informal
school for manners and poise
A place or course where people learn how to behave politely and look good in social situations.
Esempi
- 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
1/lˈeɪ ˈɔn ðə t͡ʃˈɑɹm/
idiom
informal
behave in a very charming way
To act very, very nice and charming, in a way that seems planned.
Esempi
- 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
1/tˈɚn ˈɔn ðə t͡ʃˈɑɹm/
idiom
informal
suddenly act very charming
To suddenly act very nice and friendly so that someone will like you or give you what you want.
Esempi
- 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
1/wˈɚk lˈaɪk ə t͡ʃˈɑɹm/
idiom
to work perfectly and smoothly
To work very well, with no problems.
Esempi
- 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
1/lˈʌki t͡ʃˈɑɹm/
fixed phrase
object believed to bring luck
An object that people think brings them good luck.
Esempi
- 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
1/θˈɚd tˈaɪmz ə t͡ʃˈɑɹm/
idiom
informal
Success likely on third try
People say this when they believe they will succeed on their third try at something after failing twice before.
Esempi
- 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."