Chaplin

American  

[chap-lin] / ˈtʃæp lɪn /

noun

1. Sir Charles Spencer Charlie, 1889–1977, English film actor, producer, and director; in U.S. 1910–52.

---

Chaplin British  

/ ˈtʃæplɪn /

noun

1. Sir Charles Spencer, known as Charlie Chaplin. 1889–1977, English comedian, film actor, and director. He is renowned for his portrayal of a downtrodden little man with baggy trousers, bowler hat, and cane. His films, most of which were made in Hollywood, include The Gold Rush (1924), Modern Times (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940)

---

Other Word Forms

• Chaplinesque adjective

Example Sentences

It became a fashionable West End venue, attracting a social glitterati including actors Charlie Chaplin and Marlon Brando and political figures including Sir Winston Churchill.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2026

Bad guys Oona Chaplin and Stephen Lang add spark to James Cameron’s third dazzling and surreal dispatch from Pandora, one that restates much of what’s come before.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026

After years of serving as the Misses Janes School of Hollywood, where the children of Golden Age notables including Lasky, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. were taught, it had fallen into disrepair.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

Vuitton is rooted in travel, and Shanghai, a port city where figures from Albert Einstein to Charlie Chaplin once arrived by ship, has long been shaped by it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

She flashed her eyebrows up and down like Charlie Chaplin.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu