“Have a chip on your shoulder”
FeelingsDefinition
To be resentful and easily offended because you feel unfairly treated.
Examples
Examples
1 / 2“He has a chip on his shoulder about being passed over for promotion.”
Sunny Speaking
Practice speaking with AI feedback.
Answer out loud or type — Sunny corrects your mistakes and suggests more natural English.
Start speakingUse this idiom in context
Rewrite this example in plain English without the idiom. Preserve who is speaking, the time and the meaning.
He has a chip on his shoulder about being passed over for promotion.Compare with the original example
He has a chip on his shoulder about being passed over for promotion.
Write a two-line conversation using “Have a chip on your shoulder”. Make the situation clear enough that a reader can infer the meaning. Then replace the idiom with a plain-English explanation: does your conversation still mean the same thing?
Check the expression in a dictionaryFrequently asked questions
- What does "Have a chip on your shoulder" mean?
- "Have a chip on your shoulder" means to be resentful and easily offended because you feel unfairly treated.
- How do you use "Have a chip on your shoulder" in a sentence?
- Example: "He has a chip on his shoulder about being passed over for promotion."
- Should I interpret "Have a chip on your shoulder" word for word?
- Understand the expression as a whole. Use the definition and example to learn its meaning rather than translating each word separately.