Chad

¹ American  

[chad] / tʃæd /

noun

1. a male given name.

2. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging.  Sometimes chad a confident, successful, athletic man who is attractive to women, sometimes one who is perceived as hypermasculine, arrogant, or shallow.

---

Chad ² American  

[chad] / tʃæd /

noun

1. Lake Chad, a lake in Africa at the junction of four countries: Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. 5,000 to 10,000 sq. mi. (13,000 to 26,000 sq. km) (seasonal variation).

2. Official Name Republic of Chad.  a republic in northern central Africa, east of Lake Chad. 501,000 sq. mi. (1,297,590 sq. km). N'Djamena.

3. Chadic.

---

chad ³ American  

[chad] / tʃæd /

noun

Computers.

1. a small paper disk or square formed when a hole is punched in a punch card or paper tape.

---

Chad ¹ British  

/ tʃæd /

noun

1. French name: Tchad.  a republic in N central Africa: made a territory of French Equatorial Africa in 1910; became independent in 1960; contains much desert and the Tibesti Mountains, with Lake Chad in the west; produces chiefly cotton and livestock; suffered intermittent civil war from 1963 and prolonged drought. Official languages: Arabic; French. Religion: Muslim majority, also Christian and animist. Currency: franc. Capital: Ndjamena. Pop: 11 193 452 (2013 est). Area: 1 284 000 sq km (495 750 sq miles)

2. a lake in N central Africa: fed chiefly by the Shari River, it has no apparent outlet. Area: at fullest extent 10 000 to 26 000 sq km (4000 to 10 000 sq miles), varying seasonally; it has shrunk considerably in recent years

---

chad ² British  

/ tʃæd /

noun

1. the small pieces of cardboard or paper removed during the punching of holes in computer printer paper, paper tape, etc

---

Chad Cultural  

1. Landlocked desert republic in north-central Africa, bordered by Sudan to the east; the Central African Republic to the south; Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria to the west; and Libya to the north. N'Djamena is its capital and largest city.

---

Discover More

Chad was under French control until 1960.

Etymology

Origin of Chad¹

First recorded in 2010–15, Chad ² for def. 2

Origin of chad¹

First recorded in 1930–35; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

She has lived through the days of hanging chads.

From Los Angeles Times

For a month, we watched the “hanging chad” convulsions of the Florida recount and related court cases until a highly controversial 5-4 Supreme Court decision allowed Bush to win Florida and the presidency.

From Los Angeles Times

“For example,” he continued, “manual counters are forced to determine whether a pinprick point on a chad demonstrated an intent to register a vote.”

From New York Times

While the final results can sometimes be controversial, there’s no risk of hanging chads - voting takes place entirely online.

From Washington Times

While the final results can sometimes be controversial, there’s no risk of hanging chads — voting takes place entirely online.

From Seattle Times