chap
verb (used with object)
to crack, roughen, and redden (the skin).
chap
1 American
[chap]
/ tʃæp /
verb (used with object)
-
chaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chapped,
past participle, past
-
chapping
present participle
-
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)
-
chaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chapped,
past participle, past
-
chapping
present participle
noun
-
a fissure or crack, especially in the skin.
-
Scot. a knock; rap.
chap
2
American
[chap]
/ tʃæp /
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.
chap
3
American
[chop, chap]
/ tʃɒp, tʃæp /
noun
chap.
4
American
Or
Chap.
abbreviation
-
Chaplain.
-
chapter.
chap
1
British
/ tʃæp /
verb
-
(of the skin) to make or become raw and cracked, esp by exposure to cold
-
(of a clock) to strike (the hour)
-
to knock (at a door, window, etc)
noun
-
(usually plural) a cracked or sore patch on the skin caused by chapping
-
a knock
chap.
2
British
abbreviation
-
chaplain
-
chapter
chap
3
British
/ tʃæp /
noun
chap
4
British
/ tʃɒp, tʃæp /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chapsimple
-
chapssimple
-
have chappedperfect
-
has chappedperfect
-
am chappingprogressive
-
are chappingprogressive
-
is chappingprogressive
-
have been chappingperfect progressive
-
has been chappingperfect progressive
Past
-
chappedsimple
-
had chappedperfect
-
was chappingprogressive
-
were chappingprogressive
-
had been chappingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
A chap is a guy or a fellow — a boy or man who's a friend, acquaintance, or a friendly stranger. You might ask a chap on the bus if the seat beside him is free. You can refer to any male person as a chap, and you can also address him that way: "Hello there, old chap! I haven't seen you in ages!" It's more common in Britain than the US, where the chap will know what you mean but might look at you oddly. Chaps also means a cowboy's leather pants, and when it's a verb chap means to become dry, cracked, and painful from wind or cold.
Vocabulary lists containing chap
"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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Excerpt from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"
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Long Way Down
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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:
He was standing in line at Chick-fil-A with his wife and five children when the chap behind them offered to pick up their tab.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Mark Swales, who has lived in the area for 25 years, said his neighbour had been a "very nice chap".
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
"We all agreed that this chap would be better off in hospital. But we did not have the legal powers at the time to enforce it based upon the assessment we saw," he said.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
He sips small amounts of ice water because drinking too much is akin to licking one’s lips, causing them to chap.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
One chap is convinced he'll find evidence of much earlier habitation than anyone suspected.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
"I went into that assessment expecting that I would be detaining that chap. Based on what we saw he was not detainable under the Mental Health Act," he told the inquiry.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
Dannii Minogue wrote on Instagram: "The cheekiest chap. His voice, smile and dancing feet will be missed by so many."
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2023
In his March 30 Free for All letter, “Chad cheers chap. Chap cheers Chad.,”
From Washington Post ● Apr. 12, 2019
The former England striker added on Twitter: "He's got one hell of a job on his hands but seems a decent chap. Needs a sizeable new broom."
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2016
“That might be, old chap. That certainly might be. I fall into such things, hardly knowing I’m doing it.”
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
The three-hour extravaganza of chaps and cowboy boots has been lauded for its high-energy and artistry, and has delighted fans with appearances by Beyoncé and Jay-Z's daughters, Blue, 13, and Rumi, aged eight.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2025
I saw all these men in jeans, most in boots, cowboy hats and some in leather chaps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2025
I saw all these men in jeans, most in boots and cowboy hats, and some in leather chaps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2025
“The chaps there, we call them,” he said, a term I had never heard for chapines — Guatemalans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025
“Poor chaps are way behind when it comes to spying—any sort of secret intelligence work.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
The third day of the fire, he woke up with a runny nose, sore throat and chapped lips, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
I know people are chapped about start/stop systems, which cycle engines off and on when the vehicle is not moving, in order to save fuel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
"They just went to a random door and chapped it."
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025
Herbalists recommend calendula lotions, creams, and ointments for chapped skin, eczema, minor cuts and burns, diaper rash, insect bites, hemorrhoids, athlete’s foot, and varicose veins.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 7, 2024
Their eyes were red and their faces badly chapped.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
Applying a thick layer of lip balm with moisturizing ingredients like petrolatum or shea butter before bedtime will also nourish your lips and prevent chapping, Rogers said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
Also included was a jar of cold cream to prevent her skin from chapping in the various climates she would encounter.
From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2020
For dry lips, plain petroleum jelly is an effective and cheap way to prevent chapping, Burkemper said.
From US News ● Feb. 20, 2016
They secrete oil to cleanse the nipple opening and prevent chapping and cracking of the nipple during breastfeeding.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
In the winter he used oil to prevent chapping, and he kept the cuticles pushed down and his nails always filed to the shape of his finger-tips.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
