chafe
Americanverb (used with object)
-
chafes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chafed,
past participle, past
-
chafing
present participle
-
to wear or abrade by rubbing.
He chafed his shoes on the rocks.
-
to make sore by rubbing.
Her collar chafed her neck.
-
to irritate; annoy.
The dripping of the faucet chafed her nerves.
- Synonyms:
- provoke, trouble, vex, exasperate
-
to warm by rubbing.
to chafe cold hands.
-
Obsolete. to heat; make warm.
verb (used without object)
-
chafes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chafed,
past participle, past
-
chafing
present participle
-
to become worn or sore from rubbing.
His neck began to chafe from the starched collar.
-
to rub; press with friction.
The horse chafed against his stall.
-
to be irritated or annoyed.
He chafed at their constant interruptions.
noun
-
irritation; annoyance.
-
heat, wear, or soreness caused by rubbing.
idioms
verb
-
to make or become sore or worn by rubbing
-
(tr) to warm (the hands, etc) by rubbing
-
to irritate or be irritated or impatient
he was chafed because he was not allowed out
-
(intr; often foll by on, against, etc) to cause friction; rub
-
See champ 1
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chafesimple
-
chafessimple
-
have chafedperfect
-
has chafedperfect
-
am chafingprogressive
-
are chafingprogressive
-
is chafingprogressive
-
have been chafingperfect progressive
-
has been chafingperfect progressive
Past
-
chafedsimple
-
had chafedperfect
-
was chafingprogressive
-
were chafingprogressive
-
had been chafingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chafe
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English chaufen “to heat, rub,” from Middle French chaufer, from Vulgar Latin calfāre (unrecorded), variant of Latin cal(e)facere, from cale-, stem of calēre “to be hot” + facere “to do, make”
Explanation
To chafe is to irritate or annoy. If your shoes chafe you, they rub your skin raw. Ouch. If you chafe at the suggestion that you should be studying more, the suggestion rubs you the wrong way. Chafe originally meant to warm, like a chafing dish on a hotel buffet. Though this may seem like a big jump, think of when your hands are cold and you rub them together to warm them up. So you can say that rubbed skin is kind of hot as is a temper flaring up from irritation. If you are a hot head, you are easily chafed.
Vocabulary lists containing chafe
Touching Spirit Bear
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The Odyssey
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Ender's Game
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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:
They too, however, increasingly chafe at state-imposed restrictions and high-level corruption.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Investors, though, have found various reasons to chafe at Microsoft’s story.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 30, 2026
They might chafe at the regulatory sovereignty of American regulators, especially as other jurisdictions are attempting to establish themselves as crypto centers.
From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 2025
But others chafe at the bit to let loose the dogs of their wild-eyed fantasies.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2025
My mother’s anger humiliates me; her words chafe my cheeks, and I am crying.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
In Mr. Harris’s sensitive portrayal, Caesar resents his dependence on the martial acumen of Agrippa, who soon chafes at his subordinate role.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
This chafes against the restraint demanded by his current role, which has historically been carried out in humbler fashion.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
This new life chafes my husband more than me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Pimples or a rash in the area of the breasts or on the upper back, caused by a bra that chafes, is not clean or is made of material that is allergenic or not breathable.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2024
The cold collar chafes my neck and makes the shivering even harder to control.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Although many Gambians have chafed at his bid for a third term, he was seen as the country's most viable candidate until the recent electric problems.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
The company and its followers have long chafed at their second-class status, and last week’s iPhone unveiling reignited the resentments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The U.A.E., one of the world’s largest oil producers, had long chafed at Saudi-backed production constraints.
From MarketWatch ● May 3, 2026
During Matt Amodio’s 38-game streak, many fans chafed over his method of shortening “What is…?” to “What’s…?” even when the response involved a person.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
I chafed at the delays, but held my peace, trusting that if I showed myself to be responsible and meticulously careful, he would eventually relax and things would return to normal.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
With each stride, I squirmed deeper into the Florsheims’ tapered toes in a vain effort to spare my chafing heels.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
They sought out the misfits and malcontents within Ford—the type of people, Clarke said, chafing under Ford’s often-rigid structure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
Analysts predict that consumers, already chafing at rising subscription fees for streaming services, will be spending even more if the deal goes through.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
When the authoritarian leader starts to display physical impairment, the people who have been chafing under his iron fist stop fearing him.
From Salon ● Nov. 19, 2025
At lunch I grabbed an orange plastic tray and stared at the chafing dishes full of food, unsure what to take.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
