chapeau
/ʃa.po/
chapeau is the French word for hats off.
As an interjection, Chapeau ! is used to express admiration or to say 'hats off' to someone for an achievement.
Meaning: Translations (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word chapeau literally means 'hat'.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /ʃa.po/.
Did you know?
- The word chapeau shares a root with the English word 'chapter'. Both come from the Latin caput meaning 'head'.
- In the context of a 'chapeau' in journalism, it refers to the introductory lead paragraph that summarizes a story.
- In French slang, using the verb chapeauter can mean to oversee a project or to act as a manager.
Examples in context
- Chapeau !Chapeau!Tatoeba #1507844 by MrShoval, translation #628227 by Eldad
- Salut, comme ton chapeau te va bien aujourd'hui!Hi, your hat looks great on you today!
- À la campagne, vous pouvez voir de nombreux hommes porter un chapeau traditionnel.In the countryside, you can see many men wearing traditional hats.
- Chapeau pour ton courage !Hats off to your courage!
- Chapeau, tu as réussi l'examen.Bravo, you passed the exam.
Example conversation
Nathan tells Chloé about his recent promotion at work.
- NathanJ'ai enfin eu ma promotion aujourd'hui.I finally got my promotion today.
- ChloéChapeau, Nathan ! Tu le mérites vraiment.Hats off, Nathan! You really deserve it.
- NathanMerci beaucoup, Chloé.Thank you very much, Chloé.
- ChloéC'est un super accomplissement.It is a great achievement.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry chapeau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
