chauffeur
Americannoun
-
a person employed to drive a private automobile or limousine for the owner.
-
a person employed to drive a car or limousine that transports paying passengers.
verb (used with object)
-
to drive (a vehicle) as a chauffeur.
-
to transport by car.
Saturday mornings I have to chauffeur the kids to their music lessons.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
- chauffeuse noun
- unchauffeured adjective
- well-chauffeured adjective
Etymology
Origin of chauffeur
1895–1900; < French, equivalent to chauff(er ) to heat ( see chafe) + -eur -eur
Explanation
Do you pay someone to drive you around? Then you have a private chauffeur. Chauffeur literally means "operator of a steam engine" in French, but they used it as a nickname for the first motorists who drove steam engine cars. Today chauffeurs are just the guys you pay to drive you around, like the chauffeur of a limo. Chauffeur can also be used as a verb: once you get your driver's license, your parents will be happy to not have to chauffeur you back and forth to school.
Vocabulary lists containing chauffeur
English Words Derived from French, List 3
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List 10
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A Confederacy of Dunces
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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.
As a young chauffeur, Bennett had all sorts of driving duties.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
The temporary chauffeur, freshly hired by New England, was named Josh McDaniels.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
Nevertheless, the unseen chauffeur cues “Billie Jean” again on the stereo.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026
And now I have something better than a chauffeur.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025
How would she get home if her chauffeur didn’t wait around for her?
From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher
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.
