: small pieces of paper or cardboard produced in punching paper tape or data cards
also : a piece of chad

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Slang Meaning of Chad

Chad is a slang term meaning “a stereotypical alpha male; a man, admired or scorned for brazen self-confidence.” Learn more >

Examples of chad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Having a simple common system would remove the frictions caused by every state having different schemes that allow for different shenanigans, a la Florida's hanging chads. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 After 2000’s infamous hanging chads, election workers had to become IT professionals. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chad was in 1944

Dictionary Entries Near chad

Cite this Entry

“Chad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chad. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

Geographical Definition

variants or French Tchad
landlocked country in north central Africa; capital N'Djamena; a republic; until 1959 a territory of French Equatorial Africa area 495,755 square miles (1,284,000square kilometers), population 15,833,000

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