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
• escort

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 blond chaperone watched, then turned away, smiling. —Andrew Kay, Harpers Magazine, 28 May 2025

The Jonathan on-screen enlists Angela (Paulina Mondragón), his impromptu chaperone, and his driver Eduardo (telenovela heartthrob Aarón Díaz) to travel to Panama and find the daughter of the doctor responsible for his condition. —Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025

Verb

Threatened with exile, Stitch manages to escape and winds up on Earth — Hawaii, to be specific — where he’s pursued by Jumba and Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen), who’s assigned to chaperone him. —Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025

Just down a stairwell past the Tonight Show entrance at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, behind the wide-open golden doors of Rough Trade Below, a Sam Fender track buzzed from the speakers while Mark Ellinger, in town from Montreal to chaperone a high-school field trip, looked through a box of used vinyl. —Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 11 Apr. 2025

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