informal food
short for chow-chow
1855–60, short for chow-chow
Short form
First recorded in 1870–75; special use of spelling variant ( Chow ) of Chou ( def. )
Chow is food. You might offer to make your little sister her favorite chow for her birthday: macaroni and cheese with chocolate cake for dessert. The word chow is an informal way to say "food" or "meal." Someone happily gobbling tacos might say, "I just love Mexican chow," or your dad might open up a pizza delivery box and yell, "Time for chow, everybody!" Chow is an American English word that originated in California around 1856, from the Chinese pidgin English chow-chow, "food," which probably originated with the Chinese cha, "mixed."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Troha then gave another group of mice chow supplemented with methionine.
From Science Daily • Jun. 1, 2026
Let the reindeer chow cool before serving — or packing.
From Salon • Dec. 15, 2025
“We would talk about it in the barracks, we would talk about it in the gym, we would talk about it at the chow hall,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025
Then he goes to the chow hall for breakfast and goes about his day, which he said doesn’t end until the last count at around 11 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2024
“We have a chow chow named Cha-Cha,” said Jenny.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
