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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
verbvariants:
or less commonly chaperon
chaperoned; chaperoning
Definition of chaperone (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : escort
2 : to act as chaperone to or for
chaperone a dance chaperoning teenagers
: to act as a chaperone
Two parents chaperoned at the school dance.
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Other Words from chaperone
Verb
chaperonage \ ˈsha-pə-ˌrō-nij \ noun
\ 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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun In the email, obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Richard said the chaperones and students on the trip will be out of school until March 9.
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Talal Ansari, WSJ, "School Trip to Italy Is Behind Rhode Island’s First Coronavirus Cases," 2 Mar. 2020 Since the 2009-10 case, San Jose State has changed its sports medicine policies to bar the type of touching Shaw allegedly did without explicit consent and the presence of a chaperone.
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USA Today, "San Jose State reinvestigates claims athletic trainer inappropriately touched swimmers," 17 Apr. 2020 After returning from their mid-February trip to Europe, all of the travelers from a private Rhode Island high school resumed normal activities, except a chaperone who was ill and stayed home.
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Talal Ansari, WSJ, "The U.S. Response to Coronavirus Is Uneven: It Depends on Where You Live," 4 Mar. 2020 This chaperone's job is to shepherd proteins that belong in the bacterial outer membrane to their proper spot and, once there, help them fold into the correct three-dimensional orientations.
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Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "New antibiotic found in bacteria inside a worm inside an insect egg," 20 Nov. 2019 And at Saint Raphael Academy, a private Catholic school in Pawtucket, R.I., administrators announced that the school would be closed this week after chaperones and a student who had traveled to Italy on a school trip tested positive for the virus.
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John Eligon, New York Times, "Forfeited Games and Virtual Learning: Coronavirus Shuts Down Schools," 10 Mar. 2020 That happens at the beginning of the show too, but that time Percy has a pretty good excuse: During a school field trip to the museum, one of the chaperones transforms into a monstrous Fury and attacks him.
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Christian Holub, EW.com, "The Lightning Thief musical is mythic fun that lacks range," 17 Oct. 2019 Denise Sager, a chaperone on the trip, said the boys and girls varsity teams left Skagway two weeks ago on Jan. 12 for a semi-annual basketball conference.
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Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, "Southeast Alaska town cut off by bad weather and a broken down ferry — leaving its high school basketball teams stranded," 27 Jan. 2020 The students and chaperones who were on the recent trip to Europe will be out of school until March 9 at the directive of the Rhode Island Department of Health and the CDC.
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Julia Jacobo, ABC News, "Coronavirus live updates: Postal worker in Washington tests positive; Rhode Island announces 1st case," 1 Mar. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Some people would rather chaperone the Zombie Prom than ask for a bump in pay.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Tiffany Blackstone, Redbook, "7 Times Parents Wish They Could Say, "LOL, Nope!"," 4 June 2015
See MoreThese 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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More Definitions for chaperone
chaperone
nounEnglish 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
verbEnglish 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
nounchap·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
verbvariants:
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
nounchap·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
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Time Traveler for chaperone
The first known use of chaperone was in 1720
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