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There's no mystery about the origins of chicane. It's from the Middle French verb chicaner, meaning "to quibble" or "to prevent justice," and print evidence of its use as a verb in English dates to around 1672. The noun form of chicane was first used in print in 1686. In addition to referring to "trickery," the noun chicane is used to refer to an obstacle or a series of tight turns in opposite directions on a racecourse. In card games, chicane refers to the absence of trumps in a hand of cards. One curiosity of this word set is that the word that would appear to be a derivative of chicane-chicanery (a synonym of chicane in its "trickery" sense)-actually appeared in English over 60 years before chicane.
Examples of chicane in a Sentence
Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 13 June 2025
Yet it is considered to be one of the toughest with its heavy-braking chicanes, hairpins, barriers and of course the infamous ‘Wall of Champions’ located right at the exit of the final chicane.
—Yara Elshebiny, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
The Dutchman pulled off a stunning performance last time out at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, having executed an audacious move on the very first lap, overtaking pole-sitter Oscar Piastri around the outside of the first chicane.
—Yara Elshebiny, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
Piastri made some positive progress with Verstappen-style moves at the Tamburello chicane (effectively the Imola track’s first corner).
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicane
Cite this Entry
“Chicane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chicane. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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