Skip to content

chavirer

capsize, overturn

verb shah-vee-REH Rare

Also means

be overwhelmed (emotionally)

Usage Note

Chavirer is used literally for boats tipping over and figuratively for being emotionally swept away. The phrase chavirer le coeur means to deeply move or overwhelm someone with feeling. The past participle chaviré can describe a person stunned or shaken.

Examples

"Le bateau a chaviré dans la tempête."

Natural Translation

The boat capsized in the storm.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic