chafes 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of chafe
1
as in irritates
to make sore by continued rubbing ill-fitting boots that had badly chafed my heels

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in wears
to damage or diminish by continued friction constant stepping on a rope will gradually chafe it, rendering it unsafe for rock climbing

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in annoys
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts nothing chafes us so much as those telemarketers who call during the dinner hour

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

chafes

2 of 2

noun

plural of chafe
1
as in angers

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in scratches

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chafes
Verb
For his part, Fields chafes at the suggestion that his group simply does the bidding of wealthy donors. — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 13 Sep. 2026 The nurturing Moon travels through your 6th House of Work and conjoins edgy Chiron there, highlighting a small habit that chafes, then pointing you toward relief. — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026 But Morton chafes against such stark and incriminating simplicity. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 July 2026 The debut novel from this English professor and pioneering feminist follows Mira, a suburban homemaker who chafes against patriarchal society, divorces her husband, enrolls in graduate school, and becomes an outspoken advocate for women’s rights. — Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 25 June 2026 This new life chafes my husband more than me. — Zinzi Clemmons, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026 What feels like sci-fi resolves into a Realist worker portrait as a technological fantasy of efficiency chafes against the fleshy, earthly physical world. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026 As John's disciplinary hearing draws ever closer, the protagonist increasingly chafes at his attempts to smooth over the situation. — Megan McCluskey, Time, 5 Mar. 2026 Throughout, emotion churns and chafes against a backdrop of political unrest, corporate malfeasance, and the everyday horrors that erode modern life. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chafes
  1. irritates
  2. wears
  3. annoys
  4. outrages
  5. scratches
  6. erodes
  7. bothers
  8. abrasions
Verb
  • Patients may be advised to use gentle, fragrance-free products, keep the area moisturized, and avoid anything that further irritates the skin.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Knowing that Madame Lalouette’s sales numbers are too high to fire her, Carla attempts to transfer Madame Morel to a different department — a move that irritates her superiors and highlights her weakness.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of irritates
Verb
  • Among the terminated is a welder, Choi Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu), who wears a frown so implacable that it might have been etched in steel.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Doncic loves his two daughters — Gabriela, 2, and Olivia, 10 months — and wears their initials on his shoes during games.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of wears
Verb
  • What annoys me is that this whole thing is called Roaring 20th, so why was there not a flapper and Great Gatsby theme?
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • That very same thing is what annoys Liz about Charles 500 years later.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of annoys
Noun
  • The liberal list of Republican offenses is long—so long, indeed, that the outrages blur.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Look, of the outrages, these are like the least among them, as far as being upset with the administration, with the president.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 June 2026
Definition of outrages
Noun
  • MacIntosh also points out that the fecal avoidance experiment bears little connection to how the initial outbreak spread, through bodily fluids transmitted through scratches or bites.
    — Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
  • For scratches or minor dings from fender benders, owners can replace the exterior body panels themselves.
    — Eric Bangeman, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of scratches
Verb
  • Dench was first diagnosed in 2012 with macular degeneration, a retinal disease that erodes one’s central vision and is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in people over 65.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Keep an eye on the number of dissenting votes, higher disagreement directly erodes the market's confidence in the Fed's decision.
    — Justin Zacks, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of erodes
Verb
  • Television doesn’t lack for comedies that deliver biting satire and cogent commentary — that are, in fact, so committed to commentary that nobody bothers to even include jokes.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
  • When asked if this bothers him at all, Shaq launches into a story about his youth.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of bothers
Noun
  • Left alone, dry eye can create tiny abrasions on the cornea, raise infection risk and in rare cases cause scarring that permanently affects vision.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Johns Hopkins warns that untreated dry eye can cause corneal abrasions, infection or scarring that permanently affects vision.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of abrasions

Browse Nearby Words

chafed
chafes
chaff
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Cite this Entry

“Chafes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chafes. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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