chaperone

noun

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chap·er·one | \ ˈsha-pə-ˌrōn

variants: or less commonly chaperon

Definition of chaperone

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

verb

variants: or less commonly chaperon

chaperoned; chaperoning

Definition of chaperone (Entry 2 of 2)

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.

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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 The bride and groom also enlisted their friends to chaperone and appease Steph's mum throughout. — Natalie Gil, refinery29.com, "How To Survive Your Wedding When Your Parents Are Divorced," 25 Aug. 2020 Enthused by history and slyly aware of his power, Tucci has the distinct vibes of a chaperone on a girls’-school summer field trip. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "What Will We Want When We Can Travel Again?," 3 Mar. 2021 Teachers and school counselors chaperone, help with homework and are available to talk, and bus drivers provide transportation to the program and home at the end of the evening. — Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, "Mesquite students needed a safe place to go after school, so the district created one," 2 Feb. 2021 Young women would be accompanied in public by a chaperone — an older family member or even a friend the same age. — Meredith Blake Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "How accurate is ‘Bridgerton’s’ tale of sex and scandal in Regency England? We asked," 25 Dec. 2020 The university must implement a formal chaperone policy for patients. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, "Lawmaker urges UC regents to reject $73-million settlement in doctor’s case, says it’s unfair to scores of women," 22 Dec. 2020 Rather than being embedded in the ER membrane, a sigma-1 receptor can detach itself, acting as a chaperone ferrying other proteins through the ER. — Esther Landhuis, Wired, "How a Medication for OCD Ended Up in a Covid-19 Trial," 19 Nov. 2020 ADDitions volunteer program, which permits adults to chaperone students on field trips, among other things. — J.c. Carnahan, orlandosentinel.com, "Fired West Orange football coach Dee Brown discusses his exit," 16 Nov. 2020 Before retiring in 2012, Hadden had been required to have a nurse chaperone with him at all times. — Elly Belle, refinery29.com, "This Gynaecologist Abused Patients For Two Decades — & He Avoided Jail Time Until Now," 20 Sep. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Some people would rather chaperone the Zombie Prom than ask for a bump in pay. — Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, "Working Strategies: Doing what scares you in your career," 26 Oct. 2019 Attendees must be 22 or younger, although parents may chaperone their teens. — Web Behrens, chicagotribune.com, "15 things to do around Chicago with the kids Oct. 14-20," 14 Oct. 2019 King was prepared to chaperone the trip and carry her daughter the whole way, but someone reached out with a suggestion. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, "Teacher carries 10-year-old with spina bifida on his back so she doesn't miss out on field trip," 24 Sep. 2019 Students came to us and asked us to chaperone them to Europe for six weeks. — orlandosentinel.com, "Letters: Readers share memories of historic 1969 moon landing," 20 July 2019 Fleury Drive resident Cameron Drew expressed concerns about how well Black might be able to chaperone a group of teenagers. — Annie Gentile, courant.com, "New Plans Approved For Historic Pinney School," 19 July 2019 Tena’s older sister, who lives near Sacramento, would drive two-and-a-half hours south to Salinas to pick her up, take her to the meetings, then chaperone her home again—eight hours of driving each time. — Lauren Smiley, The Atlantic, "The Future of AI Depends on High-School Girls," 23 May 2018 Through this program, volunteers can chaperone a trip and lead a small group of students through exhibits. — Shelbie Lynn Bostedt, RedEye Chicago, "Give back this week with Supplies for Dreams," 2 Aug. 2017 Being asked to chaperone a field trip that requires riding the school bus. — Tiffany Blackstone, Redbook, "7 Times Parents Wish They Could Say, "LOL, Nope!"," 4 June 2015

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chaperone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

14 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Chaperone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaperone. Accessed 18 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for chaperone

chaperone

noun

English Language Learners Definition of chaperone

(Entry 1 of 2)

US : someone (such as a teacher or parent) who goes with children on a trip or to a school dance to make sure that the children behave properly

: a person in the past who went with a young unmarried woman to social events in order to make sure that the woman behaved properly

chaperone

verb

English Language Learners Definition of chaperone (Entry 2 of 2)

: to be a chaperone to or for (someone or something)

See the full definition for chaperone in the English Language Learners Dictionary

chaperone

noun

chap·er·one

variants: or chaperon \ ˈsha-pə-ˌrōn \

Kids Definition of chaperone

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a person who goes with and is responsible for a group of young people

chaperone

verb

variants: or chaperon

chaperoned; chaperoning

Kids Definition of chaperone (Entry 2 of 2)

: to go with and supervise a group of young people : act as a chaperone Several parents chaperoned the school dance.

chaperone

noun

chap·er·one | \ ˈshap-ə-ˌrōn

variants: or chaperone protein

Medical Definition of chaperone

: 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,, July 2005

— called also molecular chaperone