chafe

[ cheyf ]

verb (used with object)

, chafed, chaf·ing.

1. to wear or abrade by rubbing:

   He chafed his shoes on the rocks.

2. to make sore by rubbing:

   Her collar chafed her neck.

3. to irritate; annoy:

   The dripping of the faucet chafed her nerves.

   Synonyms: provoke, trouble, vex, exasperate

4. to warm by rubbing:

   to chafe cold hands.

5. Obsolete. to heat; make warm.

verb (used without object)

, chafed, chaf·ing.

1. to become worn or sore from rubbing:

   His neck began to chafe from the starched collar.

2. to rub; press with friction:

   The horse chafed against his stall.

3. to be irritated or annoyed:

   He chafed at their constant interruptions.

noun

1. irritation; annoyance.
2. heat, wear, or soreness caused by rubbing.

chafe

/ tʃeɪf /

verb

1. to make or become sore or worn by rubbing
2. tr to warm (the hands, etc) by rubbing
3. to irritate or be irritated or impatient

   he was chafed because he was not allowed out

4. intr; often foll by on, against, etc to cause friction; rub
5. chafe at the bit
   See champ 1

noun

1. a soreness or irritation caused by friction

Other Words From

• non·chafing adjective
• over·chafe verb overchafed overchafing
• un·chafed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chafe¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English chaufen “to heat, rub,” from Middle French chaufer, from Vulgar Latin calfāre (unrecorded), variant of Latin cal(e)facere, from cale-, stem of calēre “to be hot” + facere “to do, make”

Word History and Origins

Origin of chafe¹

C14: from Old French chaufer to warm, ultimately from Latin calefacere, from calēre to be warm + facere to make

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. chafe at the bit, to become impatient at delay:

   The work was going very slowly, and he began to chafe at the bit.

Example Sentences

May I offer an alternate suggestion to athletic brands: Invest the time and money to create a great sports bra—one with straps you can fine-tune to your body, and that actually wicks sweat and actually doesn’t chafe—and pair it with a real, lab-backed claim of shaving precious minutes off my marathon time.

From Slate

They embrace conflict, chafe at playing defense and exhibit self-assurance even in pursuit of unpopular goals.

From Salon

We can’t do everything to stop Vladimir Putin today because of something Beijing might conceivably do tomorrow is the fundamental claim, and you can see why people chafe at it.

From Seattle Times

Indeed, despite agreeing with the overall Asia-first assessment, I chafe at it myself — enough to think that the Biden administration made the right call backing Ukraine initially and that a sharp cutoff in aid would be a mistake even if we should be seeking an armistice.

From Seattle Times

While investors chafe, the firm is looking to the recent acquisition of Bothell-based Seagen and its targeted cancer drugs to help restore Pfizer’s leadership position in the industry.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• annoy
• fret
• fume
• incense
• irk
• irritate
• offend
• rub