chafed; chafing
2
: to warm by rubbing especially with the hands
3
a
: to rub so as to wear away : abrade
the strap chafed his skin
The boat chafed its sides against the dock.
b
: to make sore by or as if by rubbing
The tight collar chafed his neck.
1
: to feel irritation, discontent, or impatience : fret
chafes at the rules
2
: to rub and thereby cause wear or irritation
The baby's skin chafes if the strap is too tight.
Examples of chafe in a Sentence
Verb
When the strap is too tight, it chafes the baby's skin.
If my boots aren't laced up tight they chafe.
The baby's skin will chafe if the strap is too tight.
Recent Examples on the Web
Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 June 2024
But not everyone thinks Carter’s decisions are the best path, and some have chafed over his power to demand change from the perch of his bench.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 3 May 2024
The test of their model will be its ability to restrain a growing capitalist class that often chafes against the overweening power of the state bureaucracy.
—Branko Milanovic, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
See all Example Sentences for chafe 
Verb
Phrygian caps gained wider currency in the 1760s as American colonists chafed under British rule.
—Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 June 2024
But not everyone thinks Carter’s decisions are the best path, and some have chafed over his power to demand change from the perch of his bench.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024
Noun
But for much of the show, Abigail serves as the primary narrator, and her delivery chafes.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 3 May 2024
The test of their model will be its ability to restrain a growing capitalist class that often chafes against the overweening power of the state bureaucracy.
—Branko Milanovic, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
See all Example Sentences for chafe
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chafe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near chafe
Cite this Entry
“Chafe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chafe. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
chafe
1 of 2 transitive verb
chafed; chafing
: to irritate or make sore by or as if by rubbing
chafe
2 of 2 noun
: injury caused by friction
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