chauffeur

noun
chauf·​feur | \ ˈshō-fər How to pronounce chauffeur (audio) , shō-ˈfər How to pronounce chauffeur (audio) \

Definition of chauffeur

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: a person employed to drive a motor vehicle

chauffeur

verb
chauffeured; chauffeuring\ ˈshō-​f(ə-​)riŋ How to pronounce chauffeuring (audio) , shō-​ˈfər-​iŋ \

Definition of chauffeur (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to do the work of a chauffeur chauffeured for a millionaire

transitive verb

1 : to transport in the manner of a chauffeur chauffeurs the children to school
2 : to operate (something, such as an automobile) as chauffeur chauffeur a limousine

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Did You Know?

Noun

The first chauffeurs were people employed to stoke a steam engine and keep it running. The literal meaning of the French noun chauffeur (from the verb chauffer, meaning "to heat") is "one that heats." In the early days of automobiles, French speakers extended the word to those who drove the "horseless carriage," and it eventually developed an extended sense specifically for someone hired to drive other people. It was this latter sense that was borrowed into English in the late 19th century. Incidentally, the French word chauffeur derives from the same Anglo-French word that gave English speakers the verb chafe, and ultimately can be traced back to the Latin verb calēre ("to be warm").

Examples of chauffeur in a Sentence

Verb

He chauffeurs for a millionaire. She was chauffeured to the airport. He chauffeured his client to the hotel.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In the street below, his chauffeur waited to drive him 200 yards down the road for lunch. The Economist, "Tim Bell, the founding father of fake news," 29 Aug. 2019 Dalton’s stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), plays chauffeur and emotional support to the shaky actor. Hal Boedeker, orlandosentinel.com, "‘Farewell,’ ‘Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood’: standout summer movies," 12 Aug. 2019 Sons of a Long Island tycoon become romantic rivals for the chauffeur’s daughter. Los Angeles Times, "Here are the feature and TV films airing the week of Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019," 11 Aug. 2019 Swipe left, reshuffle the deck and consider the next eligible chauffeur instead. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, "Corbata offers an alternative to Uber and Lyft, if it can get licensed in St. Paul," 27 July 2019 Then a chauffeur is found stabbed to death in a sleeping-space locked from the inside. Tom Nolan, WSJ, "Mysteries: The Dangers of Listening to Podcasts," 21 June 2019 And consider, finally, the new impetus that robotic chauffeurs could inject into urban sprawl. Andrew Moore, National Geographic, "To build the cities of the future, we must get out of our cars," 17 June 2019 The Scottish State Coach was also used in 2011 to chauffeur Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. PEOPLE.com, "Kate Middleton Snuck in Sweet Nod to Meghan Markle and Harry's Wedding at Trooping the Colour," 8 June 2019 Our chauffeur turns out to be Kyle Busch, something of a Nascar bad boy. Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "Lug Nuts, Fried Bologna, and the Loudest Thrill in Sports," 7 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Driven mad by the child-chauffeuring dilemma, parents are naturally looking to outsource the job to ride-hailing services. Julie Jargon, WSJ, "Uber Says No Kids—These Other Car Services Say Yes," 7 May 2019 That’s why the Williams clan rented a car — to chauffeur them around. Anh Do, latimes.com, "Family of Anaheim girl shot by an officer cries for ‘answers that we deserve’," 12 July 2019 As Rick has slid from leading-man status to day-jobbing, Cliff has gone from action stuntman to overqualified driver, chauffeuring Rick from set to set and otherwise doing odd jobs around his house in the Hollywood Hills. David Sims, The Atlantic, "Quentin Tarantino Has Made His Best Movie in a Decade," 24 July 2019 Ed was a wonderful, unselfish father, supportive of his children's interests and patiently chauffeuring them to their activities. courant.com, "Edwin F. Snelgrove," 9 June 2019 Carlton Hotel The 60-room retreat on the north side of Lake St. Moritz chauffeurs guests by Bentleys from the train station. Heidi Mitchell, Town & Country, "Skiing St. Moritz in Style," 1 Nov. 2018 Frank Lee bucked free from the back of a delivery truck chauffeuring him to his doom at a small abattoir in Brooklyn in April 2016. Zolan Kanno-youngs, WSJ, "Escape From New York: Slaughterhouse Refugees Have a Country Place," 1 Oct. 2018 Kardashian ate fries in the front seat while Thompson (also known as TTD) paid for his sins by chauffeuring her around. Sarah Spellings, The Cut, "Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson Enjoy McDonald’s in a Rolls-Royce," 20 June 2018 And the sight of Toyota Priuses chauffeuring themselves around the streets of Mountain View inspired possibilities, including more projects that didn’t consist solely of zeroes and ones. Alex Davies, WIRED, "Inside X, the Moonshot Factory Racing to Build the Next Google," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chauffeur.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of chauffeur

Noun

1899, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1917, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

History and Etymology for chauffeur

Noun and Verb

French, literally, stoker, from chauffer to heat, from Old French chaufer — more at chafe

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More Definitions for chauffeur

chauffeur

noun

English Language Learners Definition of chauffeur

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: a person whose job is to drive people around in a car

chauffeur

verb

English Language Learners Definition of chauffeur (Entry 2 of 2)

: to drive (someone) around in a car as a job : to work as a chauffeur
: to drive (someone) in a car to a certain place

chauffeur

noun
chauf·​feur | \ ˈshō-fər How to pronounce chauffeur (audio) , shō-ˈfər\

Kids Definition of chauffeur

: a person hired to drive people around in a car

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