1
2
as in to wear
to damage or diminish by continued friction
constant stepping on a rope will gradually chafe it, rendering it unsafe for rock climbing
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
nothing chafes us so much as those telemarketers who call during the dinner hour
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in indignation
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in abrasion
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of chafe
Shawnté Salabert, Outside Online, 28 Mar. 2025
So uncap this stick, glide it, and bid adieu to that dreaded chafe.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 24 Mar. 2025
Michael Schneider, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025
Some House Republicans chafed at the accusation during floor debates this week.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chafe
Verb
Then, the rotten cherry on top: my lightweight pack, overburdened with water and ill-equipped for the task, created a patch of chafe that eventually bloomed into an open wound.
—Shawnté Salabert, Outside Online, 28 Mar. 2025
So uncap this stick, glide it, and bid adieu to that dreaded chafe.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 24 Mar. 2025
Noun
But from the beginning, public broadcasting was in the crosshairs of right-wing politicians who chafed at the idea of the government supporting socially relevant and often educational fare.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025
Some House Republicans chafed at the accusation during floor debates this week.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chafe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chafe
Verb
-
His eerie calm seems to irritate Dawn even more than a candidly emotional confrontation would have done.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The cranky and irritating backseat driver, who bums a lift midway through the Griswolds' adventure, also has with her the easily excitable pooch Dinky.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The evidence that Song was the shooter comes from a green mask the assailant wore from which samples that tested positive for Song’s DNA were taken and from interviews with cooperating sources, FBI Special Agent Clark Wiethorn testified at the hearing.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In a recent campaign ad, Van Epps wears an Army uniform throughout the entire ad with patches and insignia removed.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In practice, Musk bowed to authoritarian governments or banned critical journalists when their reporting annoyed him.—
Jacob Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Joe proceeded to get drunk, annoy her (and multiple other cast members), and ultimately exit the party early to pass out in his room.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
McBride sets the political context for Swift’s savage indignation by noting that 1727–1729 saw three successive harvest failures in Ireland.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Passions run as high as style, and candor and fervor blend with humor, to endow anecdotes and reflections with pride and purpose along with mourning and indignation.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Thankfully, these pants do an excellent job of wicking sweat and precipitation with a stretchy, abrasion-resistant fabric.—
Alice Bennett,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Top distressed straight-leg jeans These jeans feature a light wash with several abrasions and holes.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Security camera footage revealed that Tyrese’s dogs were running loose and scratching at a neighbor’s door across the street minutes before Henry was attacked and killed.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Security footage from a nearby house showed the dogs scratching at someone’s door and running through yards before Henry was allegedly attacked.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And trust—the most precious resource in any health crisis—will continue to erode.—
Dr. Nikki Romanik,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
-
For Allen, this legal tool disproportionately undermines Black communities, eroding generational wealth and disconnecting families from their neighborhoods.—
Essence,
Essence,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Reviewing pages have been thinned by the forces of history and technology; few Pynchon skeptics anymore bother to take the time to read the novels and register their objections.—
Book Marks
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
-
But Bob Say, owner of Los Angeles’ Freakbeat Records, for one, isn’t all that bothered.—
Roy Trakin,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chafe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chafe. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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