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• chow chow
  chow chow

  noun

  one of a Chinese breed of medium-sized dogs having a thick black, blue, red, or cream coat and a blue-black tongue.
• chow-chow
  chow-chow

  noun

  a Chinese mixed fruit preserve.

chow chow

¹ American  

[chau chau] / ˈtʃaʊ ˌtʃaʊ /

noun

(often initial capital letters)

1. one of a Chinese breed of medium-sized dogs having a thick black, blue, red, or cream coat and a blue-black tongue.

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chow-chow ² American  

[chau-chau] / ˈtʃaʊˌtʃaʊ /

noun

1. a Chinese mixed fruit preserve.

2. a relish of chopped mixed pickles in mustard sauce.

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chow-chow British  

noun

1. Often shortened to: chow. a thick-coated breed of the spitz type of dog with a curled tail and a characteristic blue-black tongue; it came originally from China

2. a Chinese preserve of ginger, orange peel, etc in syrup

3. a mixed vegetable pickle

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Etymology

Origin of chow chow¹

1785–95; said to be < dialectal Chinese; compare Guangdong dial. gáu dog

Origin of chow-chow²

Borrowed into English from Chinese Pidgin English around 1785–95

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chow chow chow-chow

Kathryn, on the other hand, is filling up her days with a part-time position at the local mall’s J.Crew outlet and taking care of eight chow chow puppies she’s named after Maroon 5 songs.

From Salon ● May 17, 2025

Both are also closely related to dingoes, and slightly more distantly to other dogs of East Asian origin like the chow chow, Akita, and shiba inu.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 31, 2020

They are paired with green goddess dressing and glorious chow chow, a hot pickled vegetable relish with a preponderance of cauliflower.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2019

Expect eggplant katsudon with charred cabbage chow chow, sweetbread teriyaki, duck leg ramen, and an okonomiyaki pancake with shaved Benton’s ham, mayonnaise and smoked tobiko roe.

From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2018

His eyes strayed to the hall, where the languid chow chow was chewing on his newspaper, reducing it to an inky pulp.

From "Ungifted" by Gordon Korman

It’s unlikely Thomas Heyward of South Carolina ever ate blackened shrimp, pimento cheese and green tomato chow-chow together, but guess what?

From Washington Post ● Jun. 16, 2016

On the right side was a jar of pickled chow-chow.

From Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue in the Big Woods by Florence England Nosworthy

Dinner—For a roast beef dinner serve vegetable soup as the first course, with a relish of vegetables in season and horseradish or chow-chow pickle, unless you serve salad.

From Good Things to Eat as Suggested by Rufus A Collection of Practical Recipes for Preparing Meats, Game, Fowl, Fish, Puddings, Pastries, Etc. by Rufus Estes

The floor of the theatre was crowded with people, all squatting on their heels, each with his or her chow-chow box and hibatchi or brazier of burning charcoal to keep themselves warm.

From A Voyage in the 'Sunbeam' Our Home on the Ocean for Eleven Months by Annie Brassey

We'll put the beet salad by the chicken and the cabbage salad by the ham and the chow-chow betwixt 'em.

From Up the Hill and Over by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay

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