chafe Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun soreness and warmth caused by friction
    • he had a nasty chafe on his knee
  2. noun anger produced by some annoying irritation
    annoyance; vexation.
  3. verb become or make sore by or as if by rubbing
    gall; fret.
  4. verb feel extreme irritation or anger
    • He was chafing at her suggestion that he stay at home while she went on a vacation
  5. verb cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
    annoy; rag; devil; bother; vex; irritate; nettle; rile; get to; nark; get at; gravel.
    • Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me
    • It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves
  6. verb tear or wear off the skin or make sore by abrading
    excoriate.
    • This leash chafes the dog's neck
  7. verb cause friction
    rub; scratch; fray; fret.
    • my sweater scratches
  8. verb warm by rubbing, as with the hands

WordNet


Chafe transitive verb
Etymology
OE. chaufen to warm, OF. chaufer, F. chauffer, fr. L. calefacere, calfacere, to make warm; calere to be warm + facere to make. See Caldron.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Chafed ; present participle & verbal noun Chafing
Definitions
  1. To ecxite heat in by friction; to rub in order to stimulate and make warm.
    To rub her temples, and to chafe her skin. Spenser.
  2. To excite passion or anger in; to fret; to irritate.
    Her intercession chafed him. Shak.
  3. To fret and wear by rubbing; as, to chafe a cable.
    Two slips of parchment which she sewed round it to prevent its being chafed. Sir W. Scott.
    Syn. -- To rub; fret; gall; vex; excite; inflame.
Chafe intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To rub; to come together so as to wear by rubbing; to wear by friction.
    Made its great boughs chafe together. Longfellow.
    The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores. Shak.
  2. To be worn by rubbing; as, a cable chafes.
  3. To have a feeling of vexation; to be vexed; to fret; to be irritated. Spenser.
    He will chafe at the doctor's marrying my daughter. Shak.
Chafe noun
Definitions
  1. Heat excited by friction.
  2. Injury or wear caused by friction.
  3. Vexation; irritation of mind; rage.
    The cardinal in a chafe sent for him to Whitehall. Camden.

Webster 1913