Fig. to cause someone to remember something; to remind someone of something; to be familiar. The woman in the portrait struck a chord with me, and I realized that it was my grandmother. His name strikes a chord, but I don't know why.
to cause you to realize that something is connected to you in some way The characters in the play strike a chord because their speech and their reactions are like ours.
if something strikes a chord with someone, they are interested in it and like it because it is connected with their own lives or opinions Clearly the book has struck a chord, as we can see from the hundreds of letters we have received from readers. (often + with ) Her ideas on social reform will strike a chord with poor people everywhere.
Trigger a feeling or memory, as in That poem strikes a chord in all those touched by the Holocaust. This term alludes to striking the strings or keys of a musical instrument. [First half of 1800s] Also see strike the right note.