Meaning & use
chaperoning
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“chaperoning” is a form of “chaperone”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Going along with a young person or a group to watch over their behavior and keep them safe, especially at an event or on a trip.
Grammar: Takes an object: she is chaperoning the students, not chaperoning to the students.
Patterns
- chaperoning someone
- chaperoning someone to something
Three parents are chaperoning the eighth graders on the museum trip.
He spent Saturday night chaperoning the school dance and handing out cups of punch.
Chaperoning a group of excited ten-year-olds on a train is tiring work.
noununcountable
The act or duty of supervising young people or an unaccompanied person at a gathering or while traveling.
Grammar: Used without an or the in general statements: chaperoning is required for all overnight trips.
Patterns
- chaperoning duties
- chaperoning at something
Chaperoning is a role the school asks parents to share each term.
Her chaperoning of the trip kept the students out of trouble.
Volunteers who enjoy chaperoning often return for several years.
Common combinations
- chaperoning a school trip
- Chaperoning a school trip means counting heads every time the bus stops.
- chaperoning duties
- My chaperoning duties ended when the last student was picked up.
- volunteer for chaperoning
- Several teachers volunteered for chaperoning at the winter formal.
- chaperoning a dance
- Chaperoning a dance involves a lot of standing near the speakers.
- chaperoning young children
- Chaperoning young children through the airport requires endless patience.
Synonyms and how they differ
- supervising
- Supervising is broader and covers any oversight, while chaperoning suggests accompanying people at a social or travel event.
- escorting
- Escorting focuses on guiding someone from place to place, whereas chaperoning stresses watching over their conduct.
- minding
- Minding is a casual British word for looking after children, and it sounds less formal than chaperoning.
Word family
- chaperone noun
- the person who supervises
- chaperone verb
- to supervise or accompany
- chaperoned adjective
- accompanied by a supervisor
- chaperon noun
- an alternative spelling of chaperone
Commonly confused: chaperoning or chaperone?
chaperoning vs chaperone
Chaperone is the base form, as in she will chaperone the trip. Chaperoning is the -ing form used after be or as a noun.
Practice
Which sentence uses chaperoning correctly?
Choose one answer.
Chaperoning can start a sentence as a noun-like subject. Option 2 adds an unnecessary to, option 3 lacks a form of be, and option 4 is ungrammatical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chaperoning”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.