chap
verb (used with object)
to crack, roughen, and redden (the skin).
chap
1 American
[chap]
/ tʃæp /
verb (used with object)
-
chaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chapped,
past participle, past
-
chapping
present participle
-
to crack, roughen, and redden (the skin).
The windy, cold weather chapped her lips.
-
to cause (the ground, wood, etc.) to split, crack, or open in clefts.
The summer heat and drought chapped the riverbank.
verb (used without object)
-
chaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chapped,
past participle, past
-
chapping
present participle
noun
-
a fissure or crack, especially in the skin.
-
Scot. a knock; rap.
chap
2
American
[chap]
/ tʃæp /
noun
-
Chiefly British Informal: Older Use. a fellow; man or boy.
-
Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a baby or young child.
-
British Dialect. a customer.
chap
3
American
[chop, chap]
/ tʃɒp, tʃæp /
noun
chap.
4
American
Or
Chap.
abbreviation
-
Chaplain.
-
chapter.
chap
1
British
/ tʃæp /
verb
-
(of the skin) to make or become raw and cracked, esp by exposure to cold
-
(of a clock) to strike (the hour)
-
to knock (at a door, window, etc)
noun
-
(usually plural) a cracked or sore patch on the skin caused by chapping
-
a knock
chap.
2
British
abbreviation
-
chaplain
-
chapter
chap
3
British
/ tʃæp /
noun
chap
4
British
/ tʃɒp, tʃæp /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chapsimple
-
chapssimple
-
have chappedperfect
-
has chappedperfect
-
am chappingprogressive
-
are chappingprogressive
-
is chappingprogressive
-
have been chappingperfect progressive
-
has been chappingperfect progressive
Past
-
chappedsimple
-
had chappedperfect
-
was chappingprogressive
-
were chappingprogressive
-
had been chappingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chap1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English chappen “(of a fruit) to split open, burst; (of skin) to crack, chap”; cognate with Dutch kappen “to cut”; akin to chip 1
Origin of chap2
First recorded in 1570–80; short for chapman
Origin of chap3
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English chop, chappe “jaw, jawbone”; perhaps special use of chap 1
Explanation
A chap is a guy or a fellow — a boy or man who's a friend, acquaintance, or a friendly stranger. You might ask a chap on the bus if the seat beside him is free. You can refer to any male person as a chap, and you can also address him that way: "Hello there, old chap! I haven't seen you in ages!" It's more common in Britain than the US, where the chap will know what you mean but might look at you oddly. Chaps also means a cowboy's leather pants, and when it's a verb chap means to become dry, cracked, and painful from wind or cold.
Vocabulary lists containing chap
"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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Excerpt from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"
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Long Way Down
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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:
He was believed to be a cheerfully overweight, somewhat enigmatic British chap with a delightfully macabre sense of humor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
He was standing in line at Chick-fil-A with his wife and five children when the chap behind them offered to pick up their tab.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
But this stammering, rather dull chap doesn’t come across as a genius.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
She described her brother as a "gregarious chap" with a "very warm personality" and "infectious laugh".
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025
“He seems like a chap who’s never breathed any fresh air,” said another.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
"I went into that assessment expecting that I would be detaining that chap. Based on what we saw he was not detainable under the Mental Health Act," he told the inquiry.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
Dannii Minogue wrote on Instagram: "The cheekiest chap. His voice, smile and dancing feet will be missed by so many."
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2023
In his March 30 Free for All letter, “Chad cheers chap. Chap cheers Chad.,”
From Washington Post ● Apr. 12, 2019
The former England striker added on Twitter: "He's got one hell of a job on his hands but seems a decent chap. Needs a sizeable new broom."
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2016
“That might be, old chap. That certainly might be. I fall into such things, hardly knowing I’m doing it.”
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
The three-hour extravaganza of chaps and cowboy boots has been lauded for its high-energy and artistry, and has delighted fans with appearances by Beyoncé and Jay-Z's daughters, Blue, 13, and Rumi, aged eight.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2025
I saw all these men in jeans, most in boots, cowboy hats and some in leather chaps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2025
I got the chaps on and the riding boots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2024
Money talks: "Pinch your noses chaps, we’re going in. This is too good to refuse."
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2024
“Splendid falls these professional chaps do manage. Why, what’s the matter, Kay? You look as white as a sheet” “Do you remember that sword which the King of England would pull out?”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
A life-threatening medical emergency is to him what a chapped lip is to most of us.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The third day of the fire, he woke up with a runny nose, sore throat and chapped lips, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
"They just went to a random door and chapped it."
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025
Herbalists recommend calendula lotions, creams, and ointments for chapped skin, eczema, minor cuts and burns, diaper rash, insect bites, hemorrhoids, athlete’s foot, and varicose veins.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 7, 2024
I shook my head and tried to think, sucking the weak air in through my chapped lips.
From "The Honest Truth" by Dan Gemeinhart
Applying a thick layer of lip balm with moisturizing ingredients like petrolatum or shea butter before bedtime will also nourish your lips and prevent chapping, Rogers said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
For dry lips, plain petroleum jelly is an effective and cheap way to prevent chapping, Burkemper said.
From US News ● Feb. 20, 2016
They secrete oil to cleanse the nipple opening and prevent chapping and cracking of the nipple during breastfeeding.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
The wicked, chapping gusts are not expected until afternoon.
From New York Times ● Jan. 25, 2013
In the winter he used oil to prevent chapping, and he kept the cuticles pushed down and his nails always filed to the shape of his finger-tips.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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.
