chauffeur

American  

[shoh-fer, shoh-fur] / ˈʃoʊ fər, ʃoʊˈfɜr /

noun

• chauffeurs
  plural

1. a person employed to drive a private automobile or limousine for the owner.

2. a person employed to drive a car or limousine that transports paying passengers.

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verb (used with object)

• chauffeurs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• chauffeured,
  past participle,  past
• chauffeuring
  present participle

1. to drive (a vehicle) as a chauffeur.

2. to transport by car.

   Saturday mornings I have to chauffeur the kids to their music lessons.

verb (used without object)

• chauffeurs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• chauffeured,
  past participle,  past
• chauffeuring
  present participle

1. to work as a chauffeur.

   He chauffeured for a time right after the war.

chauffeur British  

/ ˈʃəʊfə, ʃəʊˈfɜː /

noun

1. a person employed to drive a car

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verb

1. to act as driver for (a person)

   he chauffeured me to the stadium

   he chauffeurs for the Duke

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• chauffeuse
  noun
• unchauffeured
  adjective
• well-chauffeured
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• chauffeurs
  plural

Participles

• chauffeuring
  present
• chauffeured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• chauffeur
  simple
• chauffeurs
  simple
• have chauffeured
  perfect
• has chauffeured
  perfect
• am chauffeuring
  progressive
• are chauffeuring
  progressive
• is chauffeuring
  progressive
• have been chauffeuring
  perfect progressive
• has been chauffeuring
  perfect progressive

Past

• chauffeured
  simple
• had chauffeured
  perfect
• was chauffeuring
  progressive
• were chauffeuring
  progressive
• had been chauffeuring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will chauffeur
  simple
• will have chauffeured
  perfect
• will be chauffeuring
  progressive
• will have been chauffeuring
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of chauffeur

1895–1900; < French, equivalent to chauff(er ) to heat ( see chafe) + -eur -eur

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chauffeur chauffeurs chauffeured chauffeuring

Earlier this year Uber agreed to acquire Blacklane, a chauffeur service that operates in more than 500 cities across over 60 countries, for an undisclosed amount.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Sami is an IT manager, chauffeur and ticket reseller in addition to his social-media-influencer aspirations, which seem to be built around his proximity to famous faces.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

As a young chauffeur, Bennett had all sorts of driving duties.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

Last week, Adeniyi Kayode, 46, the chauffeur who was driving the Lexus SUV, appeared in court in Nigeria and has been charged with four offences, including causing death by dangerous driving.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026

The chauffeur came up with a bucket full of salted ice.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

He chauffeurs them around in a rental minivan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 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

State lawmakers responded by requiring seatbelts for all passengers and commercial driver’s licenses for chauffeurs.

From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2023

Once again, it was the chauffeurs who took the rap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2022

There had been many barbecues with the driveway lined with cars and a troop of chauffeurs under the palm trees exchanging news and gossip.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Infantino arrived at Fifa's offices in Rabat, Morocco on Wednesday in now-familiar fashion, chauffeured to the building in a motorcade, sitting in the back of a Mercedes with blacked out windows.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

It only survived after a computer with the last known copy of the movie was strapped into the back seat of a Volvo station wagon and chauffeured to Pixar Animation Studios.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

Besides security services at home and during personal travel, that can include elaborate home-alarm systems, bodyguards or company cars chauffeured by specially trained drivers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026

Before the premiere, they were chauffeured around in festival-sponsored BMWs and now their friends are stammering how much they like their shoes.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2025

Santa is chauffeured by a reindeer in a cap.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

The ride-hailing company is establishing a new chauffeuring brand, dubbed Alcove, that caters to demand for full days of executive travel between client meetings, conferences and flights, Chief Executive David Risher said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Executive assistants looking to book such high-end rides tend to work with a network of small chauffeuring businesses that have limited footprints.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

For instance, the decision allowed Sami to keep certain write-offs, such as most of his car expenses for a chauffeuring service he owns.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Stephen, who was 75 at the time, was chauffeuring his Toyota Camry for his older brother Richard, then 76, taking him around town on a visit from Minnesota.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2025

“More money in chauffeuring and dog-sitting,” she mumbled.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

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