Chaplin

American

[chap-lin] / ˈtʃæp lɪn /

noun

Sir Charles Spencer Charlie, 1889–1977, English film actor, producer, and director; in U.S. 1910–52.

Chaplin British

/ ˈtʃæplɪn /

noun

Sir Charles Spencer, known as Charlie Chaplin. 1889–1977, English comedian, film actor, and director. He is renowned for his portrayal of a downtrodden little man with baggy trousers, bowler hat, and cane. His films, most of which were made in Hollywood, include The Gold Rush (1924), Modern Times (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Chaplinesque adjective

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.

“You may think your greatest export is Alfred Hitchcock or Charlie Chaplin, but to me it was Adam Somner,” Anderson said.

From Los Angeles Times

The Feb. 28 check for the fundraising gala was described in emails as a tax-deductible donation to the century-old Hollywood charity founded by Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and others.

From Los Angeles Times

It became a fashionable West End venue, attracting a social glitterati including actors Charlie Chaplin and Marlon Brando and political figures including Sir Winston Churchill.

From BBC

Think physical comedy like Charlie Chaplin, visual spectacles like “The Wizard of Oz” and sweeping romances like “Casablanca.”

From The Wall Street Journal

After years of serving as the Misses Janes School of Hollywood, where the children of Golden Age notables including Lasky, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. were taught, it had fallen into disrepair.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023