noun
cord
kawd
noun
1
A length of thin rope, string, or flexible cable.
"She plugged in the lamp's cord."
"He tied the package shut with a length of cord."
2
A unit for measuring stacked firewood, roughly 128 cubic feet.
"They ordered two cords of firewood for the winter."
verb
1
To tie or fasten something with cord.
"The movers corded the boxes together for the trip."
How to Use Cord
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA piece of string, rope, or cable — or, in woodcutting, a standard measured stack of firewood.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "chord" (musical notes played together, or a line in geometry) — they sound identical but are spelled differently.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
power cord
extension cord
cord of wood
Word Forms
corded past tense, cords singular
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She plugged in the lamp's _____.
Etymology
From Old French corde, from Latin chorda, from Greek khorde ("gut-string"), the same root that gives us "chord."