Did you know?
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
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 8 May 2024
Kurosawa’s 1963 movie focused on a Japanese shoe executive faced with a difficult decision amid a high-stakes corporate takeover when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped.
—Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chauffeur 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chauffeur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near chauffeur
Cite this Entry
“Chauffeur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chauffeur. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chauffeur
2 of 2 verb
Noun
from French chauffeur "driver," literally, "stoker," from chauffer "to heat"
Share