chinstrap

noun

chin·​strap ˈchin-ˌstrap 

plural chinstraps

1

or chin strap plural chin straps

a

: an attached strap that is used to secure headgear (usually a helmet) to the wearer

The drivers must wear a crash helmet with the chinstrap secured …

—Dan Mountney

b

: a strap placed below the lower jaw of a horse that attaches to either side of a bridle's bit to help stabilize the bit in the horse's mouth and to enhance leverage and control of the reins

2

or chin strap plural chin straps : a thick usually compressive band that wraps under the chin and fastens at the top of the head and that is used to support the jaw and keep the mouth closed (as to prevent snoring or to serve as a cosmetic facial treatment)

… chin straps said to reduce the mobility of your mouth while you sleep, which is supposedly meant to reduce snoring while also giving you a slimmer jawline.

—Olivia Petter

3

or chinstrap beard plural chinstrap beards : a thin beard that covers the jawline and typically extends between the sideburns

… it should not be mistaken for the chinstrap beard, which is thin and follows the line of the jaw with the lower lip clean shaven …

—Chris Lloyd

4

: chinstrap penguin

Chinstraps may be the most numerous of penguins, with a population estimated at 12 to 13 million.

—TerraQuest

Examples of chinstrap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Looking for chinstrap and gentoo penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula is another a highlight. —Judy Koutsky, Forbes.com, 14 Mar. 2026

Immediately, Muller ripped off her chinstrap, her helmet tossed to the ice. —Sean Nevin, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026

Mangione, his feet shackled, wore a tan jail suit and sported a chinstrap beard at Friday's hearing, a departure from his usual clean-shaven look. —Michael R. Sisak, Arkansas Online, 24 Jan. 2026

Not only do the chinstraps and Adelies have more competition for food from gentoos because of the warming and changes in plankton and krill, but the changes have brought more commercial fishing that comes earlier and that further shortens the supply for the penguins, Suttle said. —Seth Borenstein, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026

Not only do the chinstraps and Adelies have more competition for food from gentoos because of the warming and changes in plankton and krill, but the changes have brought more commercial fishing that comes earlier and that further shortens the supply for the penguins, Suttle said. —CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026

These are buckle-your-chinstrap kinds of games, the ones that make the NFL the king of all sports. —Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026

The guy hasn’t snapped a chinstrap since Week 7 of the 2024 season, when his knee decided to call it a career in San Francisco a few years early. —Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026

The helmets’ one-size-fits-all design comprised a manganese steel outer shell and an adjustable inner lining that was attached to a leather chinstrap. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

chin entry 1 + strap entry 1

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing chinstrap

• chinstrap penguin

Rhymes for chinstrap

• bandgap
• bitmap
• blackcap
• blackstrap
• bootstrap
• burlap
• claptrap
• entrap
• foolscap
• kidnap
• kneecap
• madcap