What does "chap" mean?
A man, a fellow.
Chap
/t͡ʃæp/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A man, a fellow.
- Grammar: chap is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: bloke, crack, fellow, abysm.
- Useful contrasts: hydrate, lady, moisten.
- Usage evidence: There was a time when Christopher Columbus challenged another explorer to a duel. The latter, an underhanded chap, did not take ten steps - as dictated by the rules - but two, then turned around to shoot. Unfortunately for him, Columbus hadn't taken any steps at all.
How to use "chap"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chap" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "chap" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "chap" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chap" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "chap" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bloke" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "chap", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A man, a fellow.
"Who’s that chap over there?"
- 2 A cleft, crack, or chink, as in the surface of the earth, or in the skin.
- 3 The jaw. archaic, in-plural, often
"This wide-chapp'd rascal—would thou might'st lie drowning / The washing of ten tides!"
- 4 Clipping of chapter (“division of a text”). Internet, abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
- 5 (usually in the plural) leather leggings without a seat; joined by a belt; often have flared outer flaps; worn over trousers by cowboys to protect their legs wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 A customer, a buyer. UK, dialectal
"If you have Blacks of any kind, brought in of late; Mantoes--Velvet Scarfs--Petticoats--Let it be what it will--I am your Chap--for all my Ladies are very fond of Mourning."
- 7 A division; a breach, as in a party. obsolete
"Many clefts and chaps in our council board."
- 8 One of the jaws or cheeks of a vice, etc.
- 9 a crack in a lip caused usually by cold wordnet
- 10 A child. Southern-US
- 11 A blow; a rap. Scotland
- 12 a boy or man wordnet
- 13 a long narrow depression in a surface wordnet
Verb
- 1 Of the skin, to split or flake due to cold weather or dryness. intransitive
- 2 crack due to dehydration wordnet
- 3 To cause to open in slits or chinks; to split; to cause the skin of to crack or become rough. transitive
"Then would unbalanced heat licentious reign, / Crack the dry hill, and chap the russet plain."
- 4 To strike, knock. Northern-England, Scotland
"And then it seems that through the open door there came the chapping of a clock."
Proper Noun
- 1 Initialism of Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 2 A surname from Khmer.
Example
"There was a time when Christopher Columbus challenged another explorer to a duel. The latter, an underhanded chap, did not take ten steps - as dictated by the rules - but two, then turned around to shoot. Unfortunately for him, Columbus hadn't taken any steps at all."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chap"?
Common synonyms include: bloke, crack, fellow, abysm, abyss, adamite.
How do you use "chap" in a sentence?
There was a time when Christopher Columbus challenged another explorer to a duel. The latter, an underhanded chap, did not take ten steps - as dictated by the rules - but two, then turned around to shoot. Unfortunately for him, Columbus hadn't taken any steps at all.
How do you pronounce "chap"?
Pronounced /t͡ʃæp/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Clipping of chapman (“dealer, customer”) in 16th-century English.
Etymology 2
From Middle English chappen (“to split open, burst, chap”), of uncertain origin. Compare Middle English choppen (“to chop”), Dutch kappen (“to cut, chop, hack”). Perhaps related to chip.
Etymology 3
From Northern English chafts (“jaws”). Compare also Middle English cheppe (“one side of the jaw, chap”).
Etymology 4
Shortening
Etymology 5
Borrowed from Khmer ឆាប (chaap).