cord

cord — noun

1. thin rope or thick string made by twisting several strands of fibre together, us

1.nounB1
Definition

thin rope or thick string made by twisting several strands of fibre together, used for tying or fastening things.

Example

Tamar tied the package shut with a strong cord before posting it.

collocation: strong cord / thick cord

The curtain cord snapped when Élise pulled it too hard one morning.

Common collocations
  • strong cord
  • nylon cord
  • thick cord
  • piece of cord
  • length of cord
  • tie with a cord
Synonyms
  • string

    thinner than cord; used for lighter tasks like wrapping gifts

  • rope

    thicker and stronger; used for heavy loads like climbing or towing

  • twine

    similar thickness but made of two twisted strands, often used in gardening or packaging

Grammar Patterns

a cord of + material

piece of cord

2. a plastic-insulated wire that carries electricity from a wall socket to a device

2.nounB1
Definition

a plastic-insulated wire that carries electricity from a wall socket to a device such as a lamp, computer, or phone charger.

Example

Eric plugged the charging cord into his laptop and the wall socket.

collocation: charging cord / power cord

Lisa's phone cord got tangled around the leg of her desk.

Common collocations
  • power cord
  • extension cord
  • charging cord
  • frayed cord
  • plug in the cord
  • cord gets tangled
Synonyms
  • cable

    usually thicker and often has multiple wires inside; used for computers, TVs, and internet connections

  • lead

    British English term for the same thing; 'phone lead', 'power lead'

Grammar Patterns

power cord

extension cord

charging cord

Usage Note

In British English, 'lead' is more common than 'cord' for this sense. 'Cord' is the usual term in American English.

3. a strong cotton fabric with raised parallel lines on its surface, used mainly fo

3.nounB2
Definition

a strong cotton fabric with raised parallel lines on its surface, used mainly for making warm clothes such as trousers, jackets, and skirts.

Example

Antonia bought two metres of brown cord to make a skirt.

uncountable: two metres of cord

Nellie prefers cord jackets because the material feels warm and soft.

attributive noun: cord jackets

Common collocations
  • cord fabric
  • cord jacket
  • cord trousers
  • brown cord
  • made of cord
Synonyms
  • corduroy

    the full name of the same fabric; 'cord' is a shortened form

Grammar Patterns

made of cord

cord + noun (fabric/trousers/jacket)

Usage Note

Often used as an uncountable noun when referring to the material itself. When used attributively before another noun (cord jacket, cord trousers), it describes clothing made of this fabric.

4. a pair of pants sewn from corduroy fabric, typically referred to in plural form.

4.nounB2
Definition

a pair of pants sewn from corduroy fabric, typically referred to in plural form.

Example

Tendai wore his favourite green cords to the family dinner party.

always plural: cords

The boy's cords were muddy after he played in the park all afternoon.

Common collocations
  • pair of cords
  • blue cords
  • green cords
  • wear cords
  • cords
Synonyms
  • corduroys

    the full form of the same word; 'cords' is the shortened, more casual version

Grammar Patterns

a pair of cords

wears cords

Usage Note

Almost always used in the plural form 'cords'. A single pair is 'cords' or 'a pair of cords'. Unlike the uncountable fabric sense, 'cords' always refers to a garment.

5. a rope-like anatomical structure within a living body, such as the nerve bundle

5.nounB2
Definition

a rope-like anatomical structure within a living body, such as the nerve bundle running down the spine (the spinal cord), the tube linking a foetus to its mother before birth (the umbilical cord), or the throat folds that produce sound (the vocal cords).

Example

The baby's umbilical cord was cut shortly after she was born.

compound: umbilical cord

A spinal cord injury can affect a person's ability to move their legs.

compound: spinal cord

Common collocations
  • spinal cord
  • umbilical cord
  • vocal cords
  • nerve cord
  • cord injury

Grammar Patterns

spinal cord

umbilical cord

vocal cords

Usage Note

This sense mainly appears in fixed compound nouns: spinal cord, umbilical cord, vocal cords. The word 'cord' rarely appears alone in this meaning; the compound specifies which body part is being referred to.

Common Mistakes

The doctor checked her vocal cord.
The doctor checked her vocal cords.
'vocal cords' is almost always plural because there are two.

6. a unit for measuring cut firewood, with a volume of 128 cubic feet — typically a

6.nounC1
Definition

a unit for measuring cut firewood, with a volume of 128 cubic feet — typically a pile four feet tall, four feet wide, and eight feet long.

Example

The farmer stacked a cord of oak logs behind the barn in autumn.

quantifier: a cord of oak logs

Each cord of firewood should last the family about two months.

collocation: a cord of firewood

Common collocations
  • cord of wood
  • cord of firewood
  • full cord
  • stack a cord

Grammar Patterns

a cord of wood

a cord of firewood

Usage Note

A highly specialized measurement used mainly in North America by loggers, firewood suppliers, and rural homeowners. One cord is 128 cubic feet (about 3.6 cubic metres).

cord — verb

Word family

  • cordless
    adjectiveB2
  • cordage
    nounC2
  • cording
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cord, rope, string, twine, and thread all refer to thin, flexible material made of fibres, but they differ mainly in thickness and intended use. Cord is of medium thickness — thicker and stronger than string but lighter and more flexible than rope. String is thin and commonly used for light tasks such as tying gift boxes or securing envelopes. Rope is thick and designed for heavy loads like climbing, towing, or mooring boats. Twine is similar to string but is made of two or more strands twisted together, often used in gardening or packaging. Thread is very thin, made for sewing fabric. For example, you would use string to tie a parcel for light mailing, cord to secure a rolled poster, and rope to pull a vehicle out of mud.

rope ↗string ↗twinethread ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • piece of cord
  • length of cord

Phrases

  • by the cord

Prepositions

  • cord of

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'cord' comes from the Greek word 'khordē' meaning 'string' or 'gut', which passed into Latin as 'chorda'. It then entered Old French as 'corde' before arriving in English around the 13th century. The anatomical sense (spinal cord, vocal cords) developed from the idea of a string-like body part. The measurement sense for firewood originated in 17th-century North America, where wood was stacked and sold in cords.