chaperone

noun

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 4) 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

Women are often required to have a male chaperone to leave the house. — Saeed Shah, WSJ, "U.S. Faces Newly Muscular Taliban in Peace-Talk Efforts," 5 Nov. 2018 So Marble’s robot comes equipped with a microphone and speaker for the human chaperone who follows it to remind gawkers that the machine is on the job. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "Delivery Bots Have Awkward Sidewalk Interactions, Too," 24 Apr. 2018 The groups of nearly 50 students and chaperones had been in a secure compound since July 7. — Fox News, "Church mission teams stranded by Haiti violence return to Alabama," 15 July 2018 This Halloween marks the official end of my 17-year tenure as a trick-or-treat chaperone. — Elisabeth Egan, Glamour, "I Always Take My Kids Trick-or-Treating. This Year I Was Fired.," 29 Oct. 2018 Unlike some officials, Ms. Haley didn’t present herself as someone who was reining in Mr. Trump like a chaperone. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Nikki Haley’s Example," 9 Oct. 2018 In addition, 561 teachers, chaperones and parents were on the MacKenzie grounds. — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Outdoor education expo offers skills and activities," 19 May 2018 Back when her father, Joseph Kennedy, was ambassador to Great Britain, 20-year-old Rosemary traveled to Ireland and England for three weeks in the care of a chaperone, Dorothy Smyth, a young Irish woman who was hired by the family to look after her. — Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, "Rosemary Kennedy sought friendship from her hired caretakers before undergoing a lobotomy, letters reveal," 13 Sep. 2018 Tuesday’s lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, claims medical chaperones, nurses, administrators and doctors had been aware of Dr. Hadden’s abuse since the 1990s. — Corinne Ramey, WSJ, "Women Sue Columbia University, Alleging School Failed to Protect Them From Abusive Doctor," 4 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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 Jackson walks to the front of the school where, some parents are checking in at the office to chaperone a field trip to the zoo. — Beth Kassab, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Active shooter drills, pie-in-the-face all part of life as school resource officer," 16 Mar. 2018 Their parents, who are simply too overwhelmed and impoverished themselves, cannot chaperone them. — Washington Post, "For Rohingya Muslim child refugees, too many losses to count," 21 Sep. 2017 Troop 939 leader Siobahn Hickey, of Lake Forest, will help chaperone the group of sixth- to 10th- graders. — Nathan Percy, Orange County Register, "These Orange County kids say why they’re going to Trump’s inauguration," 19 Jan. 2017 Hughes told FP Santangelo, a 27-year-old outfielder, to watch after Brady and chaperone him for the day, because the Expos wanted to sign this guy. — Tim Rohan, The MMQB, "That Time a 17-Year-Old Tom Brady Borrowed Ken Griffey Jr.’s Jersey," 10 July 2017 TMZ reports that the Toronto rapper flew in to chaperone his second cousin Jalaah Moore and her date to the dance at Fairley High School, making a stylish entrance by ordering them a white Rolls Royce. — Peter Helman, Billboard, "Drake Crashed a Prom in Memphis," 15 May 2017

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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Dictionary Entries near chaperone

Statistics for chaperone

Last Updated

19 Mar 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for chaperone

The first known use of chaperone was in 1720

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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