chaperone

American  

[shap-uh-rohn] / ˈʃæp əˌroʊn /

Or chaperon

noun

chaperones plural

1. a person, usually a married or older woman, who, for propriety, accompanies a young unmarried woman in public or who attends a party of young unmarried men and women.

   Synonyms:

   escort

2. any adult present in order to maintain order or propriety at an activity of young people, as at a school dance.

3. a round headdress of stuffed cloth with wide cloth streamers that fall from the crown or are draped around it, worn in the 15th century.

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verb (used with object)

1. to attend or accompany as chaperone.

   Synonyms:

   escort

verb (used without object)

1. to act as chaperone.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• chaperonage
  noun
• chaperonless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• chaperones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chaperone

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Middle French: “hood, cowl,” equivalent to chape cape ¹ + -eron noun suffix; figurative sense from French (18th century)

Explanation

High school dances always have at least one chaperone to keep an eye on things. A chaperone is someone who looks after and supervises another person or a group of people. Chaperone can also be spelled chaperon, without the e. It originally meant a woman whose duty was to accompany a younger woman and make sure she wasn't harmed and didn't get into trouble, especially when she was with a man. These days, chaperone is most often used to describe an adult who supervises a group of kids or teenagers. The Old English meaning was "protective hood or head covering," and today the word chaperone retains that "protective" quality.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chaperone chaperones

As the company spread across the U.S., it maintained rules for decades: Kids were allowed only with a chaperone age 25 or older, and adults could tote along just three total kids.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

After applying, she was invited to an industry party at an Essex nightclub, with her mother as a chaperone.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

These chaperone policies—sometimes called youth escort or parental guidance policies—started decades ago and have increased alongside the rise in mall disruptions over the years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

Arginine also acts as a safe chemical chaperone, helping proteins maintain their proper structure.

From Science Daily ● May 4, 2026

On the other hand, it was probably good she was above deck chaperoning their chaperone.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Kleiman said many adults rent short-term rentals for young people but then do not accompany them as chaperones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

In Milford, Conn., Anthony Martiro, manager of the Innogoodshop, which sells trendy Asian tchotchkes and snacks, said chaperones have reduced the “mischief, mayhem and stealing” previously caused by groups of teenagers wandering the mall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

A £1.2m investment is planned to provide specialist training in schools most affected by knife crime, fund measures such as mentoring for high-risk students, and the deployment of chaperones on school routes.

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2026

Sporting brown berets and screen-printed vests with colorful hand-sewn badges, they followed chaperones inside as guests waiting in line recognized them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

The girls walked in the direction of the smoke and possible survivors, chaperones or handlers who might take charge and make everything better.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

Related Words

• matron