chaps

American

[chaps, shaps] / tʃæps, ʃæps /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

a pair of joined leather leggings, often widely flared, worn over trousers, especially by cowboys, as protection against burs, rope burns, etc., while on horseback.

chaps British

/ tʃæps, ʃæps /

plural noun

Also called: chaparejos. chaparajos. leather overalls without a seat, worn by cowboys

"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

Etymology

Origin of chaps

1810–20, short for chaparajos

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.

T-shirts from Reebok, accessories from Justice and men’sdress shirts from Chaps are among the national brands Walmart is highlighting in its renovated “Stores of the Future.”

From Reuters • Jun. 15, 2023

And my shoes are from Ralph Lauren Chaps.

From New York Times • Nov. 22, 2016

“They can’t go anywhere without someone saying, ‘Hey Chaps, got a sec?’

From Washington Post • May 29, 2016

The Chaps hold an Olympiad where they sport handlebar moustaches, pith helmets tweeds and "immaculate trouser creases".

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2014

"A friend of my brother's came home that way from Mons. It seemed like a hell of a joke. Chaps never know anything, do they?"

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023