château
noun
(in France) a castle or fortress.
château
American
[sha-toh, shah-toh]
/ ʃæˈtoʊ, ʃɑˈtoʊ /
Or
chateau
noun
-
châteaux,
plural
-
châteaus
plural
-
(in France) a castle or fortress.
-
a stately residence imitating a distinctively French castle.
-
a country estate, especially a fine one, in France or elsewhere on the Continent.
-
(often initial capital letter) a winegrower's estate, especially in the Bordeaux region of France: often used as part of the name of a wine.
chateau
British
/ ˈʃætəʊ, ʃɑto /
noun
-
a country house, castle, or manor house, esp in France
-
(in Quebec) the residence of a seigneur or (formerly) a governor
-
(in the name of a wine) estate or vineyard
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of château
1730–40; < French ≪ Latin castellum castellum
Explanation
A chateau is a French country house. Chateaus are large and luxurious. This is one of many English words that come straight from another language: in this case, French. A chateau is a house—or castle—in the country that’s the opposite of a shack. A chateau is a big home for wealthy folks. A poor farmer could never afford a chateau, but a wealthy businessman might have several. However, like a farm, a chateau is in the country. Chateaus are associated with wine; many wines are named after nearby chateaus.
Vocabulary lists containing chateau
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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The Catcher in the Rye
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English Words Derived from French, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Phil Liggett may have to start giving château tours in the middle of the telecast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Established as an inn that served the lords of King Henry III, it became known as the Hostellerie de la Tour d’Argent, or silver tower, after an adjacent château that was built of silvery stone.
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
With the money the couple bought a château near the Belgian border which for years served as their base of operations.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2023
For sure, it’s not the countryside French château setting of fantasies.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 3, 2023
They've reserved two rooms for the week at the Saint James Paris, an exclusive château hotel.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
According to People, Prince Harry and Markle will maintain their Montecito chateau as well as their Portugal getaway pad but will reside at a private, non-royal home in the U.K.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
A helicopter then carried the couple to a rented chateau.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
Between 1774 and 1785, Marie Antoinette redesigned the house and gardens of Le Petit Trianon, a satellite chateau of Versailles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
Born in Switzerland, he had British citizenship and lived in a chateau in France.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2025
That night I dreamt that I was at a costume ball in an eighteenth-century French chateau, with huge crystal chandeliers above my head.
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
When Lee started to feel sick at Medoc, she skipped a few of the châteaus and drank water instead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
It reached its zenith during the Rococo and Neoclassical periods, gracing the interiors of palaces, châteaus and grand estates.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2023
“If the châteaus are offering wine that I don’t have, I’ll pay a little more to know that it’s sat in their cellar all these years,” Devine said.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 18, 2020
Cove wants to see how these faux châteaus affect woodrats’ chances of becoming a cat’s dinner.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 1, 2020
You don’t see such chandeliers outside of palaces any more except in the old French châteaus.
From The Valiants of Virginia by Hallie Erminie Rives
“There’s been a lot more interest from top châteaux, even in France,” Sokol said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
Today, Walla Walla is a much different scene, with more than 100 tasting rooms, from grand châteaux to humble “shack”-teaux dotting the landscape.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 9, 2018
In the next bay were the red and white wines, all French—great châteaux such as Cheval Blanc, Latour, Margaux, and Palmer.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 15, 2017
Huge profits in store for firm that can make a great leap in battery technology Chargers, châteaux and the Channel Tunnel: can you really do a driving holiday in a Tesla?
From The Guardian ● Jun. 22, 2016
There were some fine photographs of the châteaux of the Loire, and an article as well.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
