Dictionary.com

chap

1
[ chap ]
/ tÊƒĂŠp /
Save This Word!

verb (used with object), chapped, chap·ping.
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), chapped, chap·ping.
to become chapped.
noun
a fissure or crack, especially in the skin.
Scot. a knock; rap.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as


Origin of chap

1
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 chip1

OTHER WORDS FROM chap

un·chapped, adjective

Other definitions for chap (2 of 4)

chap2
[ chap ]
/ tÊƒĂŠp /

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.

Origin of chap

2
First recorded in 1570–80; short for chapman

Other definitions for chap (3 of 4)

chap3
[ chop, chap ]
/ tʃɒp, tÊƒĂŠp /

noun
Usually chaps . chop3 (def. 1).

Origin of chap

3
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English chop, chappe “jaw, jawbone”; perhaps special use of chap1

Other definitions for chap (4 of 4)

chap.

or Chap.


abbreviation
Chaplain.
chapter.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chap in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chap (1 of 4)

chap1
/ (tÊƒĂŠp) /

verb chaps, chapping or chapped
(of the skin) to make or become raw and cracked, esp by exposure to cold
Scot (of a clock) to strike (the hour)
Scot to knock (at a door, window, etc)
noun
(usually plural) a cracked or sore patch on the skin caused by chapping
Scot a knock

Word Origin for chap

C14: probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch, German kappen to chop off

British Dictionary definitions for chap (2 of 4)

chap2
/ (tÊƒĂŠp) /

noun
informal a man or boy; fellow

Word Origin for chap

C16 (in the sense: buyer): shortened from chapman

British Dictionary definitions for chap (3 of 4)

chap3
/ (tʃɒp, tÊƒĂŠp) /

noun
a less common word for chop 3

British Dictionary definitions for chap (4 of 4)

chap.

abbreviation for
chaplain
chapter
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
FEEDBACK