chaperone

1 of 2

noun

chap·​er·​one ˈsha-pə-ˌrōn 

variants or less commonly chaperon

1

: a person (such as a matron) who for propriety (see propriety sense 2) accompanies one or more young unmarried women in public or in mixed company

2

: an older person who accompanies young people at a social gathering to ensure proper behavior

broadly : one delegated to ensure proper behavior

I was a chaperone on one of my son's class trips.

3

: any of a class of proteins (such as heat shock proteins) that facilitate the proper folding of proteins by binding to and stabilizing unfolded or partially folded proteins

called also molecular chaperone

chaperone

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly chaperon

chaperoned; chaperoning

transitive verb

1

: escort

2

: to act as chaperone to or for

chaperone a dance

chaperoning teenagers

intransitive verb

: to act as a chaperone

Two parents chaperoned at the school dance.

chaperonage

ˈsha-pə-ˌrō-nij 

noun

Synonyms

Verb

• accompany
• attend
• companion
• company
• convoy
• escort
• see
• squire

Examples of chaperone in a Sentence

Noun

I was a chaperone on one of my son's school trips.

Verb

Two parents chaperoned the children.

My mom always chaperoned the school dances.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In the early days of Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign, Trump seemed to relish picking a fight with Francis—who was on his way to visit the United States with Biden as his de facto chaperone—suggesting the pontiff was weak and was offering an opening for ISIS to take over the Vatican. —Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Apr. 2025

Just last night, the couple attended the opening of Smash—a smart musical about the making of a bad one—accompanied by their 15-year-old twins, just old enough to brave the celebrity circus with their parents as chaperones. —Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 11 Apr. 2025

Verb

His mother, who was 49, had been chaperoning him on the trip. —Emilie Ikeda, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2025

Each parent may only chaperone up to six minors per day. —Ridah Syed, Journal Sentinel, 21 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

French chaperon, literally, hood, from Middle French, head covering, from chape

First Known Use

Noun

1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1802, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing chaperone

• molecular chaperone

Rhymes for chaperone

• acetone
• anglophone
• baritone
• bourguignon
• buspirone
• chaperon
• cobblestone
• collarbone
• cornerstone
• cortisone
• dictaphone
• dithizone

Kids Definition

chaperone

1 of 2 noun

chap·​er·​one

variants or chaperon

ˈshap-ə-ˌrōn 

: a person who goes with and is responsible for a young woman or a group of young people (as at a dance)

chaperone

2 of 2 verb

variants or chaperon

chaperoned; chaperoning

: to act or go with as a chaperone

Etymology

Noun

from French chaperon "chaperone," literally, "hood," derived from early French chape "cape," from Latin cappa "head covering, cloak" — related to cape entry 2, chapel

Medical Definition

chaperone

noun

chap·​er·​one ˈshap-ə-ˌrōn 

variants or chaperone protein

: any of a class of proteins (such as heat shock proteins and chaperonins) that facilitate the proper folding of proteins by binding to and stabilizing unfolded or partially folded proteins

As the proteins are produced, molecules called chaperones fold them into the three-dimensional form they are supposed to take.

—Andres M. Lozano et al., Scientific American,

called also molecular chaperone