What does "chapter" mean?
One of the main sections into which a published work is divided, especially a book.
Chapter
/ˈt͡ʃæptə(r)/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One of the main sections into which a published work is divided, especially a book.
- Grammar: chapter is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: affiliate, affiliate, arm, article.
- Useful contrasts: end, entire book, headquarters.
- Usage evidence: Each chapter in the textbook is followed by about a dozen comprehension questions.
How to use "chapter"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chapter" 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 "chapter" 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 "chapter" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chapter" 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 "chapter" is acting as 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 "affiliate" 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 "chapter", 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 One of the main sections into which a published work is divided, especially a book.
"Detective novel writers try to keep up the suspense until the last chapter."
- 2 a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled wordnet
- 3 One of the main sections into which a published work is divided, especially a book.; A section of a work, a collection of works, or fragments of works, often manuscripts or transcriptions, created by scholars or advocates, not the original authors, to aid in finding portions of the texts.
"CHAPTER - One of the principal divisions of a book, and, in reference to the Bible, one of the larger sections into which its books are divided. This division, as well as that consisting of verses, was introduced to facilitate reference, and not to indicate any natural or accurate division of the subjects treated in the books."
- 4 a series of related events forming an episode wordnet
- 5 Certain ecclesiastical bodies (under canon law); An assembly of monks, prebendaries and/or other clergymen connected with a cathedral, conventual or collegiate church, or of a diocese, usually presided over by the dean.
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 a local branch of some fraternity or association wordnet
- 7 Certain ecclesiastical bodies (under canon law); A community of canons or canonesses.
- 8 an ecclesiastical assembly of the monks in a monastery or even of the canons of a church wordnet
- 9 Certain ecclesiastical bodies (under canon law); A bishop's council.
- 10 any distinct period in history or in a person's life wordnet
- 11 A section of a social body.; An administrative division of an organization, usually local to a specific area.
- 12 A section of a social body.; An organized branch of some society or fraternity, such as the Freemasons.
"If the By-Law which admits honorary members is silent upon their rights, they may perhaps be determined by a consideration of which of these classes was intended by the Chapter in admitting them"
- 13 A meeting of a chapter of certain organized societies or orders.
- 14 A chapter house
- 15 A sequence (of events), especially when presumed related and likely to continue.
"1866, Wilkie Collins, Armadale, Book the Last, Chapter I, "You know that Mr. Armadale is alive," pursued the doctor, "and you know that he is coming back to England. Why do you continue to wear your widow's dress?" ¶ She answered him without an instant's hesitation, steadily going on with her work. ¶ "Because I am of a sanguine disposition, like you. I mean to trust to the chapter of accidents to the very last. Mr. Armadale may die yet, on his way home.""
- 16 A location or compartment. obsolete
"In his bosom! In what chapter of his bosom?"
- 17 A prescribed reading at one of the canonical hours.
Verb
- 1 To divide into chapters.
- 2 To put into a chapter.
- 3 To use administrative procedure to remove someone.
"If you're a single parent [soldier] and you can't find someone to take care of your children, they will chapter you out [administrative elimination from the service]. And yet if you use someone not certified, they get mad."
- 4 To take to task. transitive
Antonyms
Example
"Each chapter in the textbook is followed by about a dozen comprehension questions."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chapter"?
Common synonyms include: affiliate, affiliate, arm, article, back matter, basis.
How do you use "chapter" in a sentence?
Each chapter in the textbook is followed by about a dozen comprehension questions.
How do you pronounce "chapter"?
Pronounced /ˈt͡ʃæptə(r)/.
Etymology
From Middle English chapitre, from Old French chapitre, from Latin capitulum (“a chapter of a book, in Medieval Latin also a synod or council”), diminutive of caput (“a head”); see capital, capitulum, and chapiter, which are doublets of chapter.