chapter
Americannoun
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a main division of a book, treatise, or the like, usually bearing a number or title.
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a branch, usually restricted to a given locality, of a society, organization, fraternity, etc..
the Connecticut chapter of the American Red Cross.
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an important portion or division of anything.
The atomic bomb opened a new chapter in history.
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Ecclesiastical.
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an assembly of the monks in a monastery, of those in a province, or of the entire order.
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a general assembly of the canons of a church.
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a meeting of the elected representatives of the provinces or houses of a religious community.
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the body of such canons or representatives collectively.
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any general assembly.
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Liturgy. a short scriptural quotation read at various parts of the office, as after the last psalm in the service of lauds, prime, tierce, etc.
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Horology. any of the marks or numerals designating the hours on a dial.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a division of a written work, esp a narrative, usually titled or numbered
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a sequence of events having a common attribute
a chapter of disasters
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a series of misfortunes
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the unforeseeable course of events
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an episode or period in a life, history, etc
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a numbered reference to that part of a Parliamentary session which relates to a specified Act of Parliament
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a branch of some societies, clubs, etc, esp of a secret society
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the collective body or a meeting of the canons of a cathedral or collegiate church or of the members of a monastic or knightly order
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a general assembly of some organization
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exact authority for an action or statement
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of chapter
1175–1225; Middle English chapiter, variant of chapitre < Old French < Latin capitulum little head ( capit-, stem of caput head + -ulum -ule ); in Late Latin: section of a book; in Medieval Latin: section read at a meeting, hence, the meeting, especially one of canons, hence, a body of canons
Explanation
A chapter is a section of a book. Some long novels might be divided into twenty or thirty chapters. The noun chapter is good for talking about a subset or small section of some larger thing. Book chapters are one example, and so is a chapter in a person's life or a chapter of an organization or club. When you mention the "mopey teenage chapter" of your life, you mean one small portion of the years you've lived. And the Montana chapter of a national fan club is made up of only members who live in one state.
Vocabulary lists containing chapter
Reading: Literature - Fiction - Introductory
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"The Lotus Seed"
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Body Language: Capit, Capt ("Head")
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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.
Since then, every major chapter of Trump’s story has been suffused with the gleam of his favorite metal.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
I have over $3 million in IRA and taxable assets, not including my house, which is nearly paid off and carries a low-interest mortgage, and I am looking forward to a peaceful next chapter.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
It can make decisions on how to use its chapter structure.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
You don’t arrive at a chapter and then find yourself needing to frantically page backwards to try to find the previous reference to a person or event, because it will already be present.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
“Are we supposed to read the story all the way to the end, or just to the chapter break?”
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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.
