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
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The Odyssey
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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:
A growing segment of Angelenos also chafe at the city’s high cost of living.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
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
Their last night of thirst and bland journey food and aching buttocks and saddle chafe and dry bathing and grit in every crease of cloth and flesh.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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
Sherman, who chafes at the notion that his nonpartisan group works on Democrats’ behalf, notes that several Republican lawyers, former judges, members of Congress and governors have filed briefs with the Supreme Court backing them.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 4, 2024
Kirsten chafes, but only very little, at becoming a full-time mother instead of a working one.
From New York Times ● Jan. 22, 2024
Which is why Meacham, gliding about Washington with an above-the-fray arrogance and the gumption to hoard credit, chafes.
From Slate ● Mar. 3, 2023
He chafes at the idea of going back to the Netherlands.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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 U.A.E., one of the world’s largest oil producers, had long chafed at Saudi-backed production constraints.
From MarketWatch ● May 3, 2026
Mr. Edwards chafed a bit at being thought of primarily as a black artist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Also on CNN, top Democrats chafed at the idea of deploying ICE agents to do a job they aren’t trained to do.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2026
While Eilonwy chafed Gurgi’s wrists, the bard hurried to the tent flap and cautiously peered out.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
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
He said he suffered extreme wetsuit chafing and that parts of his tongue fell off due to saltwater exposure.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2025
Obinze was hoping his phone would vibrate, and chafing under his hope.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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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.
