champ

¹ American  

[champ, chomp] / tʃæmp, tʃɒmp /

verb (used with object)

• champs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• champed,
  past participle,  past
• champing
  present participle

1. to bite upon or grind, especially impatiently.

   The horses champed the oats.

2. to crush with the teeth and chew vigorously or noisily; munch.

3. to mash; crush.

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verb (used without object)

• champs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• champed,
  past participle,  past
• champing
  present participle

1. to make vigorous chewing or biting movements with the jaws and teeth.

noun

1. the act of champing.

idioms

1. champ at the bit, to betray impatience, as to begin some action.

champ ² American  

[champ] / tʃæmp /

noun

Informal.

1. a champion.

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champ ¹ British  

/ tʃæmp /

verb

1. to munch (food) noisily like a horse

2. to bite (something) nervously or impatiently; gnaw

3. informal to be impatient to start work, a journey, etc

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noun

1. the act or noise of champing

2. dialect a dish, originating in Ireland, of mashed potatoes and spring onions or leeks

champ ² British  

/ tʃæmp /

noun

1. informal short for champion

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champ More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing champ

• like a champ

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• champer
  noun
• champy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• champing
  present
• champed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• champ
  simple
• champs
  simple
• have champed
  perfect
• has champed
  perfect
• am champing
  progressive
• are champing
  progressive
• is champing
  progressive
• have been champing
  perfect progressive
• has been champing
  perfect progressive

Past

• champed
  simple
• had champed
  perfect
• was champing
  progressive
• were champing
  progressive
• had been champing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will champ
  simple
• will have champed
  perfect
• will be champing
  progressive
• will have been champing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of champ¹

1520–30; perhaps akin to chap ¹; see chop ¹

Origin of champ²

By shortening

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Explanation

A champ is someone who wins a contest or a prize. The winner of an elementary school fifty-yard dash is a champ. Champ is shorthand for champion — in other words, a winner or a victor. You might describe your favorite football team as a bunch of champs after they win the World Series. Another way to use the word champ is as a verb meaning "chomp," especially the way a horse bites nervously or eagerly at its bit. The original meaning of champ is "chew noisily," and the biting horse definition came next, in the 1600's.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

champ champs champed champing

Could you stack 12 cups in under two seconds to become a European champ?

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

In this corner, the reigning heavyweight champ: a version of every Oscar-baiting, prestige movie you’ve ever seen.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

Panettiere gave birth to her daughter, with boxing champ Wladimir Klitschko, in 2014 and battled postpartum depression.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

So I got her frustration, but in the end, a deserving champ prevailed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Restless horses champ at their bits; they don’t “chomp.” come to a head.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

This is a scary one for the defending Super Bowl champs because they don’t have their starting quarterback, and the Cardinals are legit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

"I've never done a home champs before so to have the crowd shout 'Abbie Donnelly' was an incredible experience."

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

The only other times they reached the Edison final was in 2015 when they won the Division 1 title and 2008 when they were undefeated state champs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

The defending Olympic champs from up north had never taken a bagel in the Games before.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

Dear Paine, Donna, and my two favorite champs, This is the first postcard 1 ever wrote, so you should feel honored.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

The vampirelike lamprey, sneaking into the Great Lakes in the 19th century, gradually champed its way through the fish population.

From New York Times ● Feb. 29, 2016

Gung-ho Lehman bankers champed at Japanese conservatism and bureaucracy, while Nomura veterans chafed at how much Lehman staff were paid.

From Reuters ● Jul. 24, 2015

Now,' on his red leather bench, Winston Churchill champed, shuffled a handful of notes, twice rose in a false start before the Speaker gave him the sign.

From Time Magazine Archive

As jittery contestants champed at the bit, U. S. tennis fans mused over nine days of the dullest top-flight tennis since women played in ankle-length flannel skirts and panama hats.

From Time Magazine Archive

There came a low word of command "Halt!" then a moment of horsey noises—nostrils blowing, hoofs pawing, bits being champed, necks being patted.

From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis

According to Page Six, the model’s essay in the Cut had publishers champing at the bit in a 12-way bidding war that culminated in the hefty pay day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

We know that many states are already champing at the bit to do that.

From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2026

“We’re champing at the bit to get the data,” one FAA official in Washington said at the time, as days stretched on after the crash without a black-box readout.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

They are champing at the bit to memorialize him, but Fife’s motives in agreeing are not purely about the film.

From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2024

“Well, it’s unusual to meet someone who’s not champing at the bit to get into the movies. Is it true that the Chinese believe cameras and photographs take possession of the soul?”

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

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Related Words

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