chafe
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to wear or abrade by rubbing.
He chafed his shoes on the rocks.
-
to make sore by rubbing.
Her collar chafed her neck.
-
to irritate; annoy.
The dripping of the faucet chafed her nerves.
- Synonyms:
- provoke, trouble, vex, exasperate
-
to warm by rubbing.
to chafe cold hands.
-
Obsolete. to heat; make warm.
verb (used without object)
-
to become worn or sore from rubbing.
His neck began to chafe from the starched collar.
-
to rub; press with friction.
The horse chafed against his stall.
-
to be irritated or annoyed.
He chafed at their constant interruptions.
noun
-
irritation; annoyance.
-
heat, wear, or soreness caused by rubbing.
idioms
verb
-
to make or become sore or worn by rubbing
-
(tr) to warm (the hands, etc) by rubbing
-
to irritate or be irritated or impatient
he was chafed because he was not allowed out
-
(intr; often foll by on, against, etc) to cause friction; rub
-
See champ 1
noun
Other Word Forms
- nonchafing adjective
- overchafe verb
- unchafed adjective
Etymology
Origin of chafe
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English chaufen “to heat, rub,” from Middle French chaufer, from Vulgar Latin calfāre (unrecorded), variant of Latin cal(e)facere, from cale-, stem of calēre “to be hot” + facere “to do, make”
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.
“There were so many guardrails and it was so restrictive,” she says, adding that she chafed at the hours, the dress and behavioral codes, and the lack of creativity.
From Los Angeles Times
Most telling of all: Those chafed by “Promising Young Woman” haven’t given Fennell the impartial second chance that her male industry colleagues receive time and time again.
From Salon
It’s all fittingly itchy for literature’s most aggravating couple and a story that chafes against the convention that love wins — or even that love is good.
From Los Angeles Times
For decades, he had chafed against the 78’s constraints, occasionally recording two- or four-sided works and in concert letting pieces unfold over dozens of minutes.
While Mr. Scharf is chafing to get off the planet, Mr. Willis is happy to let robots do the grunt work of searching for ETs.
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.
