Meaning & use
chafe
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To make skin sore or rub it raw by repeated friction, or to become sore in this way.
Grammar: Can take an object (the strap chafed my neck) or stand alone (my skin chafed).
Patterns
- something chafes (someone's) skin
- something chafes against something
The new boots chafed my heels so badly that I had to stop and put on bandages.
Her skin tends to chafe where the backpack straps sit.
Wet shorts will chafe your thighs on a long run.
verbintransitivefigurative
To feel irritated or resentful because of a rule, limit or situation you are forced to accept.
Grammar: No object; usually followed by at, against or under: chafe at the delay.
Patterns
- chafe at something
- chafe against something
- chafe under something
Teenagers often chafe at the rules their parents set.
He chafed under the new manager's constant supervision.
The villagers chafed against restrictions on fishing.
Word forms
| third person singular | chafes |
|---|---|
| past tense | chafed |
| past participle | chafed |
| -ing form | chafing |
Common combinations
- chafe at the bit
- The young players were chafing at the bit to start the season.
- chafe against restrictions
- Employees began to chafe against the strict dress code.
- chafe under authority
- She chafed under her boss's authority.
- chafe the skin
- Rough seams can chafe the skin of a baby.
- chafe at the delay
- Travelers chafed at the delay as the storm dragged on.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rub
- Rub is neutral and only describes contact, while chafe stresses that the rubbing causes soreness.
- irritate
- Irritate covers many causes of annoyance or soreness, whereas chafe points to friction or to feeling confined.
- fret
- Fret suggests worrying or fussing, while chafe suggests impatience at a specific restriction.
- bristle
- Bristle shows anger or defensiveness outwardly, while chafe describes a slow, grinding frustration.
Opposites
Word family
- chafing noun
- soreness caused by rubbing
- chafed adjective
- sore or rubbed raw
- chafing dish noun
- a dish with a heater that keeps food warm
Commonly confused: chafe or chaff?
chafe vs chaff
Chaff is the husks separated from grain, and as a verb it means to tease good-naturedly. It is not about rubbing or irritation.
Practice
The workers began to ___ the new rules, which gave them almost no freedom.
Choose one answer.
Chafe against means to feel resentful of a restriction. Chaff is a different word, and soothe and repair do not fit the sense of resentment.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chafe”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.