Chauffeur Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms chauffeur American [shoh-fer, shoh-fur] / ˈʃoʊ fər, ʃoʊˈfɜr /

noun

1. a person employed to drive a private automobile or limousine for the owner.

2. a person employed to drive a car or limousine that transports paying passengers.

verb (used with object)

1. to drive (a vehicle) as a chauffeur.

2. to transport by car.

   Saturday mornings I have to chauffeur the kids to their music lessons.

verb (used without object)

1. to work as a chauffeur.

   He chauffeured for a time right after the war.

chauffeur British / ˈʃəʊfə, ʃəʊˈfɜːz, ʃəʊˈfɜː /

noun

1. a person employed to drive a car

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. to act as driver for (a person)

   he chauffeured me to the stadium

   he chauffeurs for the Duke

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• chauffeuse noun
• unchauffeured adjective
• well-chauffeured adjective

Etymology

Origin of chauffeur

1895–1900; < French, equivalent to chauff(er ) to heat ( chafe ) + -eur -eur

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Done up in a luscious dark-red paint scheme, it has a removable roof over the front seats, putting your chauffeur out in the elements while you sit in back, away from prying eyes.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Wait, no, you probably have a chauffeur who does that.”

From Literature

He chauffeurs them around in a rental minivan.

From The Wall Street Journal

“And I’m not going to be your chauffeur,” his aunt added.

From Literature

The temporary chauffeur, freshly hired by New England, was named Josh McDaniels.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.