chapter

American  

[chap-ter] / ˈtʃæp tər /

noun

• chapters
  plural

1. a main division of a book, treatise, or the like, usually bearing a number or title.

2. a branch, usually restricted to a given locality, of a society, organization, fraternity, etc..

   the Connecticut chapter of the American Red Cross.

3. an important portion or division of anything.

   The atomic bomb opened a new chapter in history.

   Synonyms:

   phase, period, episode, era

4. Ecclesiastical.

   1. an assembly of the monks in a monastery, of those in a province, or of the entire order.

   2. a general assembly of the canons of a church.

   3. a meeting of the elected representatives of the provinces or houses of a religious community.

   4. the body of such canons or representatives collectively.

5. any general assembly.

6. Liturgy. a short scriptural quotation read at various parts of the office, as after the last psalm in the service of lauds, prime, tierce, etc.

7. Horology. any of the marks or numerals designating the hours on a dial.

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verb (used with object)

1. to divide into or arrange in chapters.

chapter British  

/ ˈtʃæptə /

noun

1. a division of a written work, esp a narrative, usually titled or numbered

2. a sequence of events having a common attribute

   a chapter of disasters

3. 1. a series of misfortunes

   2. the unforeseeable course of events

4. an episode or period in a life, history, etc

5. a numbered reference to that part of a Parliamentary session which relates to a specified Act of Parliament

6. a branch of some societies, clubs, etc, esp of a secret society

7. the collective body or a meeting of the canons of a cathedral or collegiate church or of the members of a monastic or knightly order

8. a general assembly of some organization

9. exact authority for an action or statement

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verb

1. (tr) to divide into chapters

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unchapter
  verb (used with object)
• chapteral
  adjective
• unchaptered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• chapters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chapter

1175–1225; Middle English chapiter, variant of chapitre < Old French < Latin capitulum little head ( capit-, stem of caput head + -ulum -ule ); in Late Latin: section of a book; in Medieval Latin: section read at a meeting, hence, the meeting, especially one of canons, hence, a body of canons

Explanation

A chapter is a section of a book. Some long novels might be divided into twenty or thirty chapters. The noun chapter is good for talking about a subset or small section of some larger thing. Book chapters are one example, and so is a chapter in a person's life or a chapter of an organization or club. When you mention the "mopey teenage chapter" of your life, you mean one small portion of the years you've lived. And the Montana chapter of a national fan club is made up of only members who live in one state.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chapter chapters

Their eldest son, 26-year-old Ortiz Jr., is near the end of his enlistment and was planning to buy a house in Riverside for his wife and two young children to start their next chapter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

In a statement, TFG said after prioritising stability, investment and the opening of Everton's new stadium last year, the time is right "to consider the next chapter".

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Talc suppliers such as Whittaker Clark & Daniels, Imerys Talc America and Barrett Minerals have also used chapter 11 to stem mass litigation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

“Yep, moving to Puerto Rico at the top of the year, and I’m pulling back a whole lot,” Perry shared when asked about his plans for the next chapter of his life.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

When I finish writing the chapter, I lie back on a bed of fallen leaves.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

"There are dark chapters in history that we must nevertheless be aware of. And yes, history undoubtedly repeats itself," she said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

She added that Archer was "not without flaw", but that "friends will recall him as an irrepressible life force through all the many differing chapters of his life".

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The organization, which has 2,000 members, has 28 chapters, up from nine when it launched in 2023.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

The important thing was to hold that tension and then kind of step that conversation through chapters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

Chiron informed us that the Party Ponies had sent chapters from almost every state in the Union: forty from California, two from Rhode Island, thirty from Illinois .

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• affiliate
• branch
• division
• episode
• member
• phase
• stage
• unit