chafe
verbEtymology Inherited from Middle English chaufen (“to warm”), borrowed from Old French chaufer (modern French chauffer), from Latin calefacere, calfacere (“to make warm”), from calere (“to be warm”) + facere (“to make”). See caldron.
1
To excite heat in by friction; to rub in order to stimulate and make warm.
2
Figuratively To excite passion or anger in; to fret; to irritate.
3
To fret and wear by rubbing.
- to chafe a cable
- i was reminded why i stopped wearing jeans. they hurt so bad compared to pleated pants […] yeah, but the sides of my hips and my junk were all sore. idr the english word, but ig they were ”wearing against it”. oh ”chafe”?2025 October 3, Oskar Skalmstad, “ThunderWazp”, in discord.com (Usenet):
4
To rub; to come together so as to wear by rubbing; to wear by friction.
- the troubled Tiber chafing with her shores1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
- [Gitche Manito] Breathed upon the neighbouring forest, / Made its great boughs chafe together, / Till in flame they burst and kindled; […]1855 November 10, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Peace-pipe”, in The Song of Hiawatha, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 12:
5
To be worn by rubbing.
- A cable chafes.
6
Figuratively To have a feeling of vexation; to be vexed; to fret; to be irritated.
- He will chafe at the doctor's marrying my daughter.c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:
- Many local politicians chafed under the restrictions of Guided Democracy[…]1996, Jim Schiller, Developing Jepara in New Order Indonesia, page 58:
1 more example
- As Meta has spent billions to bring in A.I. talent, some members of the old guard have chafed at the new hires, three people with knowledge of the matter said.2025 August 19, Mike Isaac, Eli Tan, “Zuckerberg Again Overhauls Meta’s A.I. Efforts”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
- Derived terms
- antichafe, chafage, chafe at the bit, chafer, chafesome, chafeweed, chafing dish, chafing gear