chauffeur

American  

[shoh-fer, shoh-fur] / ˈʃoʊ fər, ʃoʊˈfɜr /

noun

1. a person employed to drive a private automobile or limousine for the owner.

2. a person employed to drive a car or limousine that transports paying passengers.

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verb (used with object)

1. to drive (a vehicle) as a chauffeur.

2. to transport by car.

   Saturday mornings I have to chauffeur the kids to their music lessons.

verb (used without object)

1. to work as a chauffeur.

   He chauffeured for a time right after the war.

chauffeur British  

/ ˈʃəʊfə, ʃəʊˈfɜːz, ʃəʊˈfɜː /

noun

1. a person employed to drive a car

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verb

1. to act as driver for (a person)

   he chauffeured me to the stadium

   he chauffeurs for the Duke

Other Word Forms

• chauffeuse noun
• unchauffeured adjective
• well-chauffeured adjective

Etymology

Origin of chauffeur

1895–1900; < French, equivalent to chauff(er ) to heat ( see chafe) + -eur -eur

Explanation

Do you pay someone to drive you around? Then you have a private chauffeur. Chauffeur literally means "operator of a steam engine" in French, but they used it as a nickname for the first motorists who drove steam engine cars. Today chauffeurs are just the guys you pay to drive you around, like the chauffeur of a limo. Chauffeur can also be used as a verb: once you get your driver's license, your parents will be happy to not have to chauffeur you back and forth to school.

Example Sentences

His father worked as a chauffeur and mechanic for the family that lived in the large house in front of their home, where his mother sometimes cooked.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Done up in a luscious dark-red paint scheme, it has a removable roof over the front seats, putting your chauffeur out in the elements while you sit in back, away from prying eyes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

Nevertheless, the unseen chauffeur cues “Billie Jean” again on the stereo.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026

She was previously criticised for claiming thousands of pounds in expenses from the taxpayer for chauffeur driven cars.

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2025

There was a chauffeur with a short pipe in his mouth who was lounging outside the car.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman