ENGLISH
REFERENCE

chris

n. countable
A1 Beginner US //ˈkɹɪs// chris

n. a common name for a person, usually a man. It is a shorter, friendlier way of saying Christopher or sometimes Christine.

n. a masculine proper noun, functioning as a hypocorism for Christopher or occasionally Christian or Christine.


SIMPLE

My friend Chris lives in London.

CONTEXTUAL

After the meeting, Chris stayed behind to help the team clean up the conference room.

COMPLEX

While the name Chris is traditionally associated with Christopher, it has increasingly been adopted as a standalone given name in various English-speaking regions.

Usage

As a proper noun, it is almost always capitalized and rarely takes an article unless referring to a specific person among others of the same name.

© 2026 English Reference