Meaning & use
struck a chord
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“struck a chord” is a form of “strike a chord”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
phraseidiomfigurative
Caused a strong feeling of recognition or agreement in someone because it matched their own experience.
Grammar: Past tense of strike a chord; often followed by with: struck a chord with voters.
Patterns
- strike a chord with someone
- struck a chord in someone
Her speech about loneliness struck a chord with many listeners.
The story struck a chord because we had all felt that way.
The advert struck a chord with young parents.
phraseidiominformal
Reminded someone of something half-remembered.
Grammar: Often used in a negative or doubtful sentence: the name struck a chord.
Patterns
- something strikes a chord
The name struck a chord, but I could not remember where I had heard it.
His face struck a chord from my childhood.
The song struck a chord, though I could not place it.
phraseidiommusic
Played several musical notes together on an instrument.
Grammar: The literal meaning, rarer than the figurative use.
Patterns
- struck a chord on something
She struck a chord on the piano and the room fell quiet.
He struck a chord on his guitar to check the tuning.
The pianist struck a chord to begin the song.
Word forms
| base form | strike a chord |
|---|---|
| third person singular | strikes a chord |
| -ing form | striking a chord |
Common combinations
- struck a chord with
- The message struck a chord with young voters.
- really struck a chord
- Her honesty really struck a chord.
- struck a chord with the public
- The campaign struck a chord with the public.
- struck a familiar chord
- His words struck a familiar chord.
- struck a chord in
- The film struck a chord in many people.
Synonyms and how they differ
- resonated
- Resonated is a plainer verb meaning echoed in feeling, while struck a chord is a more colorful idiom.
- touched a nerve
- Touched a nerve suggests the topic was sensitive or painful, which is not always the case with struck a chord.
- rang a bell
- Rang a bell means only a vague memory, whereas struck a chord often means deep emotional recognition.
- appealed to
- Appealed to is neutral and does not carry the sense of shared feeling that struck a chord does.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: struck a chord or cord? struck a chord or touched a nerve?
struck a chord vs cord
Cord is a thin rope or wire and sounds the same as chord, but the idiom always uses chord.
struck a chord vs touched a nerve
Touched a nerve shows a sensitive point, whereas struck a chord shows agreement.
Practice
The author's honest book about grief ____ with thousands of readers.
Choose one answer.
Struck a chord is the idiom for creating strong recognition in people. Cord is a different word, and the other options are not set expressions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “struck a chord”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.