chap

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈchap 

: a crack in or a sore roughening of the skin caused by exposure to wind or cold

chap

2 of 5

verb

chapped; chapping

intransitive verb

: to open in cracks, slits, or chinks

also : to become cracked, roughened, or reddened especially by the action of wind or cold

hands often chap in winter

transitive verb

: to cause to chap

wind-chapped lips

chap

3 of 5

noun (2)

ˈchäp  ˈchap 

1

: the fleshy covering of a jaw

also : jaw

—usually used in plural

a wolf's chaps

2

: the forepart of the face

—usually used in plural

chap

4 of 5

noun (3)

ˈchap 

1

chiefly British : fellow sense 4c

2

Southern US and Midland US : baby, child

chap

5 of 5

abbreviation

chapter

Synonyms

Noun (3)

• bastard
• bloke [chiefly British]
• buck
• cat
• chappie [British]
• dude
• fella
• fellow
• galoot [slang]
• gent
• gentleman
• guy
• hombre
• jack
• joe
• joker
• lad
• male
• man

Examples of chap in a Sentence

Noun (3)

a couple of chaps kindly gave us directions to Buckingham Palace

a cute little chap

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Unlike this chap, though, Angie Singh hasn’t had a day off for a long time. —Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 18 July 2024

At Bec & Bridge, black jeans had a vague air of Western chaps, with the front and back panels replaced with glittering sparkles. —Angela Law, refinery29.com, 20 May 2024

Verb

Lips can become chapped too for more or less the same reasons. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 22 July 2024

Has that summer heat left you with dry and chapped lips? —Hyphensocial Contributors, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English chappes, plural, from chappen

Verb

Middle English chappen; akin to Middle Dutch cappen to cut down

Noun (2)

origin unknown

Noun (3)

short for chapman

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1705, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

chap

1 of 3 noun

ˈchap 

: a crack or a sore roughening of the skin from exposure especially to wind or cold

chap

2 of 3 verb

chapped; chapping

: to open in slits or cracks

also : to become cracked, roughened, or reddened

chapped lips

chap

3 of 3 noun

chiefly British

: fellow entry 1 sense 4a

Etymology

Noun

Middle English chappes "cracks in skin," from chappen "to crack"

Verb

Middle English chappen "to crack (of skin)"

Noun

shortened form of chapman "merchant," from Old English cēapman "merchant," from cēap "trade" and man "man" — related to cheap

Medical Definition

chap

1 of 2 verb

ˈchap 

chapped; chapping

intransitive verb

: to crack or open in slits

the hands and lips often chap in winter

transitive verb

: to cause to open in slits or cracks

chapped lips

chap

2 of 2 noun

: a crack in or a sore roughening of the skin caused by exposure to wind or cold