chafe

UK: /ˈtʃeɪf/ US: /tʃeɪf/ ,(chāf )

Inflections of 'chafe' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

chafes

v 3rd person singular

chafing

v pres p

chafed

v past

chafed

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

chafe /tʃeɪf/   v., chafed, chaf•ing. 

1. to (cause to) become sore by rubbing: [~ + object]
   The clothes chafed the baby badly.
   [no object]
   Those tight diapers are chafing.
2. to (cause to) be irritated or annoyed: [~ + at/under + object]
   He chafed at their unkind remarks.
   [~ + object]
   Those unkind remarks really chafed him.
3. [~ + object] to warm by rubbing:
   to chafe cold hands.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

chafe  (chāf ), v., chafed, chaf•ing, n. 
v.t. 

1. to wear or abrade by rubbing:
   He chafed his shoes on the rocks.
2. to make sore by rubbing:
   Her collar chafed her neck.
3. to irritate;
   annoy:
   The dripping of the faucet chafed her nerves.
4. to warm by rubbing:
   to chafe cold hands.
5. [Obs.] to heat;
   make warm.

v.i. 

6. to become worn or sore from rubbing:
   His neck began to chafe from the starched collar.
7. to rub;
   press with friction:
   The horse chafed against his stall.
8. to be irritated or annoyed:
   He chafed at their constant interruptions.
9. Idioms chafe at the bit, to become impatient at delay:
   The work was going very slowly, and he began to chafe at the bit.

n. 

10. irritation;
    annoyance.
11. heat, wear, or soreness caused by rubbing.

• Vulgar Latin *calfāre, variant of Latin cal(e)facere, equivalent. to cale- (stem of calēre to be hot) + facere to make
• Middle French chaufer
• Middle English chaufen to heat, rub, chafe 1275–1325

Synonyms

• 3. exasperate, vex, trouble, provoke.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

chafe / tʃeɪf/ verb

1. to make or become sore or worn by rubbing
2. (transitive) to warm (the hands, etc) by rubbing
3. to irritate or be irritated or impatient
4. (intr; often followed by on, against, etc) to cause friction; rub
5. chafe at the bit ⇒
   See champ13

noun

1. a soreness or irritation caused by friction

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French chaufer to warm, ultimately from Latin calefacere, from calēre to be warm + facere to make