chaperone

or chap·er·on

[ shap-uh-rohn ]

/ ˈʃæp əˌroʊn /

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See synonyms for: chaperone / chaperoned on Thesaurus.com

Definition of chaperone

noun

a person, usually a married or older woman, who, for propriety, accompanies a young unmarried woman in public or who attends a party of young unmarried men and women.

any adult present in order to maintain order or propriety at an activity of young people, as at a school dance.

a round headdress of stuffed cloth with wide cloth streamers that fall from the crown or are draped around it, worn in the 15th century.

verb (used with object)

to attend or accompany as chaperone.

verb (used without object)

to act as chaperone.

OTHER WORDS FOR chaperone

1, 4 escort.

See synonyms for chaperone on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of chaperone

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Middle French: “hood, cowl,” equivalent to chape cape¹ + -eron noun suffix; figurative sense from French (18th century)

OTHER WORDS FROM chaperone

chap·er·on·age

[shap-uh-roh-nij], /ˈʃæp əˌroʊ nɪdʒ/, nounchap·er·on·less, adjective

Words nearby chaperone

chapel de fer, Chapel Hill, chapel of ease, chapelry, chaperon, chaperone, chapess, chapfallen, chap hop, chapiter, chaplain

How to use chaperone in a sentence

From her home in Denmark, Popal had warned players to burn their jerseys and not leave their homes — girls and women are forbidden from playing sports under the Taliban — and urged them not to leave their homes without a male chaperone.
Afghan women’s soccer players, fleeing the Taliban, find refuge in Australia|Liz Clarke|August 24, 2021|Washington Post
Women were systematically victimized under the Taliban, dependent on male chaperones to leave their homes and unable to access education.
How You Can Help People in Afghanistan|Eloise Barry|August 17, 2021|Time
By Thursday afternoon, the tally of positive cases included 47 staff members and 29 campers or chaperones who were not working on campus, Rybka said.
Christian Summer Camp Turns Into Nationwide Superspreader Nightmare|Zoe Richards|July 29, 2021|The Daily Beast
The two were inseparable, with Culotta acting as a chaperone, staffer, and trusted confidante to Spears.
How Britney Spears’ Father Controlled Her Circle of Friends|Cheyenne Roundtree|June 25, 2021|The Daily Beast

The high school itself was not hosting or helping, but individual teachers had volunteered as chaperones.
How a rural Virginia town came together for an unforgettable pandemic prom|Hannah Natanson|May 7, 2021|Washington Post
Later, after marrying a farmer, she is told that she cannot sell her vegetables at the market in Chicago without a male chaperone.
American Dreams, 1924: ‘So Big’ by Edna Ferber|Nathaniel Rich|March 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Posing for a picture with 49 bright-eyed students from India, mathematics teacher (turned chaperone) Mr. Uniyal looks stressed.
New York’s Tourists Are Laughing at Us|Abby Haglage|October 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He hosted a poetry contest and a talent show, acted as a chaperone for dances, and attended football games.
Tony Danza on His New Book About Teaching, ‘Who’s the Boss,’ and ‘Twilight’|Ramin Setoodeh|September 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She was a blushing bride of seventeen, a sad and stoic wife, a loving mother, an embittered chaperone, and a daughter pushed away.
This Week’s Hot Reads: June 5, 2012|Nicholas Mancusi, Jimmy So|June 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She was accompanied to the interview with her new Scientology “chaperone.”
Katie Holmes, 'Jack and Jill,' and Her Bizarre Career|Nicole LaPorte|November 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Her smile had in it some suggestion of the reserve of the chaperone.
The Highgrader|William MacLeod Raine
And this is the room of all others to get in order, as I fancy Miss Cox, our chaperone, will occupy it.
Vacation with the Tucker Twins|Nell Speed
"He will be along this evening with Miss Cox, our chaperone, and we want to get everything in order before he comes," said Dum.
Vacation with the Tucker Twins|Nell Speed
"It would be a pretty piece of business for me to come down here as a chaperone and then be a baby," she said.
Vacation with the Tucker Twins|Nell Speed
I have saved up the most important to the last:—our chaperone, Miss Cox, has gone and got herself engaged!
Vacation with the Tucker Twins|Nell Speed