chauffeur
Americannoun
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a person employed to drive a private automobile or limousine for the owner.
-
a person employed to drive a car or limousine that transports paying passengers.
verb (used with object)
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to drive (a vehicle) as a chauffeur.
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to transport by car.
Saturday mornings I have to chauffeur the kids to their music lessons.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chauffeursimple
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chauffeurssimple
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have chauffeuredperfect
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has chauffeuredperfect
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am chauffeuringprogressive
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are chauffeuringprogressive
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is chauffeuringprogressive
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have been chauffeuringperfect progressive
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has been chauffeuringperfect progressive
Past
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chauffeuredsimple
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had chauffeuredperfect
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was chauffeuringprogressive
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were chauffeuringprogressive
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had been chauffeuringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chauffeur
1895–1900; < French, equivalent to chauff(er ) to heat ( see chafe) + -eur -eur
Explanation
Do you pay someone to drive you around? Then you have a private chauffeur. Chauffeur literally means "operator of a steam engine" in French, but they used it as a nickname for the first motorists who drove steam engine cars. Today chauffeurs are just the guys you pay to drive you around, like the chauffeur of a limo. Chauffeur can also be used as a verb: once you get your driver's license, your parents will be happy to not have to chauffeur you back and forth to school.
Vocabulary lists containing chauffeur
English Words Derived from French, List 3
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List 10
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A Confederacy of Dunces
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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:
That was among his many responsibilities in a career that spanned 51 years, where he first picked up litter then picked up everyone from celebrities to sports heroes to ex-presidents as the club’s top chauffeur.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
The man needs a chauffeur more than group therapy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026
His father worked as a chauffeur and mechanic for the family that lived in the large house in front of their home, where his mother sometimes cooked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
His parents worked for a wealthy family, his mother as a cook and his father as a chauffeur.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026
“So that’s how you got the chauffeur to help us? You just said your dad’s name and—” “Yes,” Rachel cut me off.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
Items Manifold listed at the time included the use of chauffeurs and private jets, and blocks of tickets to Wimbledon tennis matches purchased for employees and clients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
"They paid for all my hotels, chauffeurs... to allow me to perform the job that I did," she said.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
The business, which also offered customers access to jets, homes and chauffeurs, gained a loyal following among local rappers and social media influencers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
John Lennon, who in life was such a terrible driver that he hired chauffeurs for the safety of those around him, is in command of the main spaceship.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2023
We recently put in a second small covered patio with a bar so that while my guests are enjoying a meal, their chauffeurs will have a pleasant place to bide their time.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
A videographer captured Moore throwing $20 bills in the air as he walked through a flower arch and then leaving for prom in a chauffeured Bentley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Last year, a top Orlando-area quarterback revealed his move to Edison in a video that showed him traveling to Miami by private plane, where Campbell ushered him into a chauffeured Mercedes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
Many new branded schemes feature private members' clubs, wellness facilities and exclusive services - from chauffeured cars and yacht access, to private jet partnerships.
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2026
A chauffeured black SUV pulls up to the curb outside Destroyer in Culver City and out jumps Zara Larsson like somebody riding a float in the Rose Parade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025
Santa is chauffeured by a reindeer in a cap.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Gomez immediately replied while protesters shouted “Shame! Shame! Shame!” at a fleet of electric Cadillac Escalades chauffeuring Noma L.A.’s first round of diners in for lunch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
Before long, he was driving 200 miles a week chauffeuring beans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
The technology went from a perpetual “six months away” to chauffeuring masses of riders this year as both companies gathered experience in pilot cities and used that knowledge to expand to others.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2023
Paul’s wife, Leizza, assumed most of the child-rearing responsibilities, including getting their six children off to school and chauffeuring them to church and religious instruction on Sundays.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 3, 2022
“More money in chauffeuring and dog-sitting,” she mumbled.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
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.
