chicane

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verb chi·cane \shi-ˈkān, chi-\

Definition of chicane

chicaned

;

chicaning

intransitive verb
: to use chicanery a wretch he had taught to lie and chicane — George Meredith
transitive verb
: trick, cheat

chicane was our Word of the Day on 08/06/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of chicane in a Sentence

a lawyer who is so notorious for chicaning that the guilty invariably seek his services

Did You Know?

There's no mystery about the origins of chicane. It's from the Middle French verb chicaner, meaning "to quibble" or "to prevent justice," and print evidence of its use as a verb in English dates to around 1672. The noun form of chicane was first used in print in 1686. In addition to referring to "trickery," the noun chicane is used to refer to an obstacle or a series of tight turns in opposite directions on a racecourse. In card games, chicane refers to the absence of trumps in a hand of cards. One curiosity of this word set is that the word that would appear to be a derivative of chicane-chicanery (a synonym of chicane in its "trickery" sense)-actually appeared in English over 60 years before chicane.

Origin and Etymology of chicane

French chicaner, from Medieval French, to quibble, prevent justice

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1672

See Words from the same year

chicane

noun chi·cane

Definition of chicane

1 : chicanery
2a : an obstacle on a racecourseb : a series of tight turns in opposite directions in an otherwise straight stretch of a road-racing course
3 : the absence of trumps in a hand of cards

Examples of chicane in a Sentence

most get-rich-quick schemes involve more than a smidgen of chicane

Recent Examples of chicane from the Web

Sculpted rear fenders and Jaguar’s new chicane graphics visible on the lower door panels and within the rear taillamps accentuate the design.

— eric stafford, Car and Driver, "2018 Jaguar E-Pace: Designed to Cross Over," 13 July 2017
For a look at a clean run—even with the speed-mitigating chicane in place—watch the video below, in which Subaru’s event manager, Ian Dobson (who rallies a classic Ford Escort in his spare time), threads the STI up the hill:

— alexander stoklosa, Car and Driver, "We Drive the Fastest, Most Challenging Driveway: Goodwood’s Hill-Climb! [Video]," 5 July 2017
Pick your struggles in traffic and avoid the perception of being a rolling chicane.

— joe michaud, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Kawasaki Z125 Pro: Miniaturized street bike packs unintimidating fun," 8 June 2017

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