How to use chafe in a sentence

20 example sentences · noun, verb

Chafe means heat excited by friction. Example: “A cable chafes.”

Examples of chafe by meaning

verbTo fret and wear by rubbing.

to chafe a cable

verbTo be worn by rubbing.

A cable chafes.

verbTo have a feeling of vexation; to be vexed; to fret; to be irritated.

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...

More sentences with chafe

Uighurs, the region’s largest ethnic group, had long chafed under official discrimination and economic marginalization under Beijing.2019 November 24, Sasha Chavkin, “Xinjiang’s Architect Of Mass Detention: Zhu Hailun”, in International Consortium of Investigative…. From the entry Kargilik
That chafes a bit, his assumption that my horizons need unnarrowing.2013, Lisa Samson, The Sky Beneath My Feet, page 66. From the entry unnarrow
But Bechet chafed under even the loose discipline of the Ellington group, and left.1995, James Lincoln Collier, Jazz: The American Theme Song, page 41. From the entry side
Our spirits fret and chafe like sea waves on the rocks eagering to climb the shore.1913, William Alfred Quayle, The Climb to God, page 116. From the entry eager
The wide spur leathers are to protect the boot from chafing on the stirrups.1907, Stewart Edward White, chapter 9, in Camp and Trail, New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., page 154. From the entry spur-leather
If the bales chafe or become wet on their flats, only one or two layers will be damaged.2024, Robert J. Meurn, Marine Cargo Operations. From the entry flat
But then this is essentially a pop-up team, glued into place brilliantly, with certain parts already chafing and smoking.2017 May 13, Barney Ronay, “Antonio Conte’s brilliance has turned Chelsea’s pop-up team into champions”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The…. From the entry pop-up
It is something short of discombobulation, but the mild, mental chafing is irritating enough to demand a remedy.2012 June 8, Ron Lieber, “Planning a Financial Tuneup”, in The New York Times. From the entry discombobulation
My socks never stop squishing and my underwear chafes.2010, Greg van Eekhout, chapter 11, in Kid vs. Squid, New York, N.Y.: Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers, →ISBN, page 107. From the entry squish
Chafes their finger when swinging an axe, which, as it happens, is the traditional marriage gift a mother gives her daughter."2009, Chris Evans, The Light of Burning Shadows, page 153. From the entry dwarfette
But stick with this mustardized number, an au polvre steak sautéed in a chafing dish at tableside without annoying flourishes.1977, Arthur Bloomfield, Arthur Bloomfield's Guide to San Francisco Restaurants, page 96. From the entry mustardize
He is getting pretty smart at it now, and no longer makes spuds in the sock to chafe his heels.1958, Michael Kennedy Joseph, I'll Soldier No More: A Novel. From the entry spud
Since these are hemmed, there is a chance that the thick edge will chafe—thus counteracting the possible advantages of less bulk in the diaper area.1970, California Farmer, volume 232, page 9. From the entry contour diaper
Make suzettes in the chafing dish.1956, “Viennese Blinis”, in The ABC of Chafing Dish Cookery, Mount Vernon, N.Y.: Peter Pauper Press, →OCLC, page 58. From the entry suzette
No longer need you rub your ears to chafe them free from freezery; instead, you’re far too busy with your hankie and your sneezery.1936 March 4, T. W. J., “[The Jay-Walker] Vile Winter Gets Gate”, in The Toronto Daily Star, 44th year, Toronto, Ont.: Toronto Star…. From the entry sneezery
I clearly recall chafing at what I perceived as the wifty-wafty aspects of this concept, just as I chafed at the humanity electives I was required to take.2010, CeCelia R. Zorn, Becoming a Nurse Educator: Dialogue for an Engaging Career, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, →ISBN, page ix. From the entry wifty-wafty
Where, however, this chafing extends through the fabric or by reason of an aggravated skid,—the fabric is ground through at any point, resectioning would be necessary in addition.1913, B.F. Goodrich Company, The Goodrich - Volumes 3-4, page 97. From the entry resection

Meaning of chafe

noun Heat excited by friction.
noun Injury or wear caused by friction.
noun Vexation; irritation of mind; rage.

Full definition of chafe

Questions about chafe in a sentence

How do you use chafe in a sentence?: Chafe is used as a noun and verb. For example: “A cable chafes.”
What is a short sentence with chafe?: “A cable chafes.”
What does chafe mean?: Chafe means heat excited by friction.

Adapted from Wiktionary: chafe (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use chafe in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/chafe. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.