chaperone

1 of 2

noun

chap·​er·​one ˈsha-pə-ˌrōn How to pronounce chaperone (audio)
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 noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Instead, nearly five months passed before the state issued the chaperone order, allowing Maheshwari to continue to see patients unsupervised. Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 6 Dec. 2024 Still, the college-age Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is merely a chaperone for her younger paraplegic sister/apple of dad’s eye, Nessarose (Marissa Bode). David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
Six Flags Over Texas now requires children under 15 to be chaperoned by someone over 21 after 4pm. Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 9 Sep. 2024 At age 20, her date with a male friend was chaperoned, and her pastor father policed such interactions with vigilance. Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chaperone 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of chaperone was in 1720

Dictionary Entries Near chaperone

Cite this Entry

“Chaperone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaperone. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

chaperone

1 of 2 noun
chap·​er·​one
variants or chaperon
: 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 How to pronounce chaperone (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on chaperone

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