Meaning & use
chip on my shoulder
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiominformal
A lasting feeling of anger or hurt that makes someone quick to take offense or eager to prove they are as good as others.
Grammar: Used after have, with a possessive word that matches the subject: he has a chip on his shoulder, not 'on the shoulder'.
Patterns
- have a chip on your shoulder
- carry a chip on your shoulder about something
- with a chip on your shoulder
Ever since he was passed over for the job, he has had a chip on his shoulder about his managers.
She came in with a chip on her shoulder and argued with almost every suggestion we made.
He still carries a chip on his shoulder from being teased at school.
phraseidiominformal
A strong wish to prove that people who doubt you are wrong, often because of past unfair treatment.
Grammar: Often followed by about plus the thing that caused the feeling: a chip on your shoulder about money.
Patterns
- a chip on your shoulder about something
- have a chip on your shoulder about something
Growing up poor gave her a chip on her shoulder about people who had money.
There is a real chip on his shoulder about his accent, and he gets annoyed if anyone mentions it.
Common combinations
- have a chip on your shoulder
- He has a chip on his shoulder about never being promoted.
- carry a chip on your shoulder
- She still carries a chip on her shoulder from those early years.
- with a chip on your shoulder
- He walked into the meeting with a chip on his shoulder.
- a chip on your shoulder about something
- There is no need for a chip on your shoulder about it.
- get a chip on your shoulder
- He got a chip on his shoulder after the team left him out.
Synonyms and how they differ
- resentful
- Resentful describes the bitter feeling itself, while a chip on your shoulder is the attitude you show because of it.
- touchy
- Touchy means easily annoyed in general; a chip on your shoulder suggests a specific grudge that you keep returning to.
- grudge
- A grudge is the bad feeling you hold against someone; a chip on your shoulder is more about how you behave toward the world in general.
Opposites
Word family
- chip noun
- A small piece broken off something; also used in the phrase a chip on your shoulder.
Commonly confused: chip on my shoulder or shoulder chip?
chip on my shoulder vs shoulder chip
Shoulder chip is not a standard phrase in English; the correct order is chip on your shoulder.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom needs the possessive word to match the subject (her) and the article a: a chip on her shoulder. Option 1 uses the wrong possessive, option 2 uses the wrong possessive, and option 3 leaves out the article.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chip on my shoulder”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.