Meanings
plural lobby chimes
- plural normallyentertainmentA chime sounded in the lobby of a theater or concert hall to attract patrons or announce that a performance is about to begin or resume.
Jess heard the lobby chimes warning the audience that the show would be starting again soon.
2017, Michelle Dayton, chapter 13, in Wicked Stage, Carina Press, →ISBN2 more examples
Many exhibitors ring these chimes during intermission to call attention to a new show. […] We furnish these lobby chimes in a set of 4 units to be mounted as shown in the cut, or all together.
1915 February 20, J. C. Deagan, “Deagan's Lobby Chimes” (advertisement), in The Moving Picture World, volume 23, page 1201Distantly Anne heard the lobby chimes; the backstage lights flickered. One minute to curtain rise.
2024 February 27, Melodie Edwards, chapter 1, in Once Persuaded, Twice Shy, Berkley, →ISBN, page 7Synonyms: house chime
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA chime sounded in the lobby of a theater or concert hall to attract patrons or announce that a performance is about to begin or resume.
Origin
Cite this entry
lobby chime. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lobby%20chime
“lobby chime.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lobby%20chime. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lobby chime,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lobby%20chime.
Source: lobby chime on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.