chap

¹ American  

[chap] / tʃæp /

verb (used with object)

chapped, chapping

1. to crack, roughen, and redden (the skin).

   The windy, cold weather chapped her lips.

2. to cause (the ground, wood, etc.) to split, crack, or open in clefts.

   The summer heat and drought chapped the riverbank.

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verb (used without object)

chapped, chapping

1. to become chapped.

noun

1. a fissure or crack, especially in the skin.

2. Scot. a knock; rap.

chap ² American  

[chap] / tʃæp /

noun

1. Chiefly British Informal: Older Use. a fellow; man or boy.

2. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a baby or young child.

3. British Dialect. a customer.

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chap ³ American  

[chop, chap] / tʃɒp, tʃæp /

noun

1. Usually chaps chop.

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chap. ⁴ American  

Or Chap.

abbreviation

1. Chaplain.

2. chapter.

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chap ¹ British  

/ tʃæp /

verb

1. (of the skin) to make or become raw and cracked, esp by exposure to cold

2. (of a clock) to strike (the hour)

3. to knock (at a door, window, etc)

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noun

1. (usually plural) a cracked or sore patch on the skin caused by chapping

2. a knock

chap. ² British  

abbreviation

1. chaplain

2. chapter

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chap ³ British  

/ tʃæp /

noun

1. informal a man or boy; fellow

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chap ⁴ British  

/ tʃɒp, tʃæp /

noun

1. a less common word for chop 3

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Other Word Forms

• unchapped adjective

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

Example Sentences

As an honest broker from the moderate left, notwithstanding his Trump fixation, Mr. Traub may be the chap to get the message across.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 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

Our unlikely hero is the Dude from “The Big Lebowski” as a manic pixie dream boy, an effervescently charming and inexplicably quirky chap.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2024

“I thought the chap was asking to borrow a pair of tweezers. Bit of a strong accent.”

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

Related Words

• bloke
• lad