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 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

Adamson was a chaperone with students from Chicago who were in town to participate in Urban Missions, a New Vision Christian Fellowship program that teaches homeless outreach. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Church teaches nationwide youth homeless outreach in San Diego," 7 Aug. 2019 Under the Taliban, women have been unable to leave home without a chaperone and have been denied work or education. — The Economist, "The Taliban negotiates with Afghan officials for the first time," 11 July 2019 Flier said outside the courthouse Monday that there was a chaperone present during all medical examinations. — Richard Winton, latimes.com, "Ex-USC gynecologist George Tyndall pleads not guilty to sexual abuse charges," 1 July 2019 The tickets — which went to parents and chaperones, too — normally cost about $20 apiece. — Hannah Natanson, Washington Post, "‘I can’t believe it!’: Hundreds of D.C.-area kids see the circus courtesy of local churches," 22 July 2019 Morehouse is facing a Title IX lawsuit filed on behalf of a former student who accused a faculty chaperone of ordering alcoholic drinks for him and groping him on an airplane en route to a study abroad program in Brazil in 2015. — Sarah Mervosh, New York Times, "Morehouse College Investigates Sexual Misconduct After Students’ Videos," 19 July 2019 One of this summer’s chaperones in Carlsbad is Loai, a Palestinian doctor from East Jerusalem. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Israeli, Palestinian and American teens build trust on the ropes," 16 July 2019 Each group consisted of approximately 20 students (separated by gender), one teacher leader, and three or four parent chaperones. — Susan Shain, The Atlantic, "When Your Final Exam Is Surviving the Wilderness," 5 June 2019 The teenagers then attempted to purchase vape products -- e-cigarettes or e-liquids with nicotine -- and a chaperone watched to see if the store asked for ID and made a sale. — Arman Azad, CNN, "Half of tobacco and vape shops don't ID teens, undercover research finds," 24 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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 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

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

20 Aug 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