Chad

UK: /ˈtʃæd/ US: 'Chad', 'chad': (chad)

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Chad / tʃæd/ noun

1. a republic in N central Africa: made a territory of French Equatorial Africa in 1910; became independent in 1960; contains much desert and the Tibesti Mountains, with Lake Chad in the west; produces chiefly cotton and livestock; suffered intermittent civil war from 1963 and prolonged drought. Official languages: Arabic; French. Religion: Muslim majority, also Christian and animist. Currency: franc. Capital: N’Djaména. Pop: 14 899 994 (2017 est). Area: 1 284 000 sq km (495 750 sq miles)
   French name: Tchad
2. Lake Chad ⇒ a lake in N central Africa: fed chiefly by the Shari River, it has no apparent outlet. Area: at fullest extent 10 000 to 26 000 sq km (4000 to 10 000 sq miles), varying seasonally; it has shrunk considerably in recent years

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

chad  (chad), n. [Computers.]

1. Computing a small paper disk or square formed when a hole is punched in a punch card or paper tape.

• origin, originally uncertain 1945–50

Chad  (chad), n. 

1. Place Names Lake, a lake in Africa at the junction of four countries: Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. 5000 to 10,000 sq. mi. (13,000 to 26,000 sq. km) (seasonal variation).
2. Place Names Official name, Republic of Chad. a republic in N central Africa, E of Lake Chad: a member of the French Community;
   formerly part of French Equatorial Africa. 7,166,023;
   501,000 sq. mi. (1,297,590 sq. km). Cap.: N'Djamena.
3. Language Varieties Chadic.
4. a male given name. French, Tchad (for defs. 1, 2).