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

Plan for a final chapter of 20 or 30 years.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

The scandal was only the last chapter; the failure was in every earlier one, when someone could have been harder on the work and wasn’t.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

In this most recent chapter, Heyward has ventured into the front office, Freeman is adding to his Hall of Fame candidacy, and they’re once again on the same team.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Is All Blacks' tour of South Africa a new chapter for rugby union?

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

“This action closes a chapter in the American experience.”

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Interspersed between these scenes are chapters that shift time and tone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

More than just describing a new animal, the study shows how Brazilian paleontology continues to contribute to our understanding of central chapters in the history of life on Earth.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

Until Euro 2016, Wales' story had been dominated by tales of heartache, Joe Jordan's handball in 1977 and the Romania defeat of 1993 among many painful chapters.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

In places like Denver, DSA chapters ferried supplies to encampments and held meetings there in a show of support.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Having in the preceding two chapters discussed why so many wild plant species seemingly suitable for domestication were never domesticated, we shall now tackle the corresponding question for domestic mammals.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

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