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• chow
  chow

  noun

  food, especially hearty dishes or a meal.
• Chow
  Chow

  noun

  a contemptuous term used to refer to a Chinese person.

chow

¹ American  

[chou] / tʃaʊ /

noun

1. food, especially hearty dishes or a meal.

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verb phrase

1. chow down to eat; eat a meal, especially the main meal of the day.

   In the army we usually chow down at 6 p.m.

chow ² American  

[chou] / tʃaʊ /

noun

(often initial capital letter)

1. chow chow.

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Chow ³ American  

[chou] / tʃaʊ /

noun

Australian Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Chinese person.

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chow British  

/ tʃaʊ /

noun

1. informal food

2. short for chow-chow

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Etymology

Origin of chow¹

1855–60, short for chow-chow

Origin of chow²

Short form

Origin of Chow³

First recorded in 1870–75; special use of spelling variant ( Chow ) of Chou ( def. )

Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

“Podcasts have become like a cultural hub and curator of things that are happening in the world,” Chow said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026

“What we’re seeing is this groundswell of pushing the envelope of what can be done,” Chow continued.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

Oliver Wyman’s Kenneth Chow said cheaper overseas destinations and favorable travel policies have been successful in luring Chinese consumers abroad.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

But as Keye Chow, director of research for healthcare at Alger, puts it, the premium multiples the stock once commanded reflected a business that was highly predictable and delivered strong earnings growth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Still, every morning she would examine Ching Chow, a daily cartoon that supposedly gave lucky numbers.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers