chaps

American

[chaps, shaps] / tʃæps, ʃæps /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

a pair of joined leather leggings, often widely flared, worn over trousers, especially by cowboys, as protection against burs, rope burns, etc., while on horseback.

chaps British

/ tʃæps, ʃæps /

plural noun

Also called: chaparejos. chaparajos. leather overalls without a seat, worn by cowboys

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of chaps

1810–20, short for chaparajos

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.

T-shirts from Reebok, accessories from Justice and men’sdress shirts from Chaps are among the national brands Walmart is highlighting in its renovated “Stores of the Future.”

From Reuters • Jun. 15, 2023

At the Brandlesholme Community Center and Food Bank, close to Chaps Barbers, its chairwoman, Jo Warburton, sums up the situation locally in a word: “diabolical.”

From New York Times • May 5, 2022

No cheap-eats tour of Baltimore is complete without a stop at Chaps, home to arguably the finest pit beef sandwich, the other dish that is wholly identified with Charm City.

From Washington Post • Aug. 23, 2017

There are 'load' fees and 'non-sterling transaction charges' for using your card abroad, as well as fees for Chaps, Swift, Target and Sepa payments.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2016

"A friend of my brother's came home that way from Mons. It seemed like a hell of a joke. Chaps never know anything, do they?"

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023