chafe 1 of 2

verb

ˈchāf How to pronounce chafe (audio)
Definition of chafenext
1
as in to irritate
to make sore by continued rubbing ill-fitting boots that had badly chafed my heels

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to wear
to damage or diminish by continued friction constant stepping on a rope will gradually chafe it, rendering it unsafe for rock climbing

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts nothing chafes us so much as those telemarketers who call during the dinner hour

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

chafe

2 of 2

noun

1
as in indignation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abrasion

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chafe
Verb
Trump has been publicly supportive of Musk, and his advisers chafe at the suggestion that the tech titan is anything resembling a co-president. — Julia Shapero, The Hill, 5 Feb. 2025 Howlin’ Wolf, one of Chess’ major talents, chafed at the change. — Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025
Noun
Floyd instantly chafes at the hierarchies imposed in Jay’s household, and when the island is cut off from ferries and grocery stores are closed, the mansion becomes dependent on its cook to provide. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2024 But for much of the show, Abigail serves as the primary narrator, and her delivery chafes. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 3 May 2024 See All Example Sentences for chafe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chafe
  1. irritate
  2. wear
  3. annoy
  4. indignation
  5. abrasion
  6. scratch
  7. erode
  8. bother
Verb
  • Salt grains may be irritating, especially for people with sensitive skin types.
    — Susan Bard, Health, 18 Mar. 2025
  • In addition to the on-again, off-again tariffs and the militarization of the border, Trump has irritated Mexico by renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of irritate
Verb
  • Shoppers could choose to purchase an Apple (product) Red item or wear a look from (RED)’s Gap collection, modeled in an historic campaign by Christy Turlington, Anne Hathaway, Mary J. Blige, and John Legend, among others.
    — Lisa Lockwood, WWD, 12 Mar. 2025
  • As pulsating techno music filled the room, which was bathed in red light (a reference to Lynch), models came out of cubicles wearing what looked like a blend of underwear and eveningwear.
    — Alice Pfeiffer, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of wear
Verb
  • With Connecticut facing the possibility of exceeding the cap by $61 million, Lamont is reining in spending, annoying some liberal Democrats who note that the state is simultaneously looking at a budget surplus.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Also keeping with that theme are tons of Marvel references to the point that Mara (who starred in 2015’s Fantastic Four) was likely getting annoyed.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of annoy
Noun
  • Vance’s speech spurred the Europeans to unite in their indignation.
    — Simon Shuster/Berlin, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
  • If Jude’s previous two fiction films were Molotov cocktails of indignation, his latest secretes a kind of scentless poison that gets at the banality with which social injustices are processed and rationalized.
    — Beatrice Loayza, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
Definition of indignation
Noun
  • The breathable, durable material that will keep you cool and hold up to abrasion.
    — Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2025
  • The homeless man suffered abrasions, lacerations, contusions and bleeding to his head and face and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, the Queens District Attorney’s Office said.
    — Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 15 Jan. 2025
Definition of abrasion
Verb
  • Not to be scratched by the digital revolution, vinyl posted its 18th straight year of growth, scored nearly three-quarters of physical format revenue at $1.4B – its highest since 1984.
    — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Not only may it not be well received, but you could be left scratching your head as to what is the next move.
    — Kyle Thomas, People.com, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of scratch
Verb
  • Video calls fall slightly below in-person meetings because small differences can significantly erode engagement.
    — Carmine Gallo, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Trump's 2018 tariffs on steel and aluminum were eroded by exemptions.
    — arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of erode
Verb
  • By the end of the day, my T-zone had turned a little bit oily, but honestly, not enough to bother me.
    — Denise Primbet, Glamour, 16 Mar. 2025
  • The First Amendment’s free speech protection is under siege by the Trump administration and that should bother every American, including Republicans.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of bother

Browse Nearby Words

chafe
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chafe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chafe. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on chafe

Nglish: Translation of chafe for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All