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

Etymology

Origin of champ¹

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

Origin of champ²

By shortening

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

The childhood sports idols for my generation of cousins were Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela and boxing champ Julio César Chávez, not Mexican soccer legends Hugo Sánchez and Jorge Campos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Some have interpreted this as the defining moment when A.I. surpassed human prowess in math, akin to the moment in 1997 when IBM’s Deep Blue took down chess champ Garry Kasparov.

From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2026

With defending champ Carlos Alcaraz back in Spain, staring at his sore, slowly-rehabilating wrist, the tennis world presumed his Italian rival, Jannik Sinner, would have a breezy Vespa ride to the title at Roland-Garros.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

Dawn Celeste claims to be the gin rummy champ of the century.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

"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

"Excitement, fatigue - everything. But this is the best moment of the season. We are still champs, two in a row, it's amazing."

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

Ding’s cheerful reign offers an answer to what “Jeopardy!” fans want from their champs: strict adherence to an unwritten code that starts with humbleness and deference to the game.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

At the start of the day, there had been eight regional champs.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

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

We skated Wonderland numerous times over several days and all kinds of stuff went down, but Suski straight up champed out with five amazing tricks, all of which were photo-documented in an hour-nutter.

From Time Magazine Archive

The eight superb, matched horses champed their eight matched bits.

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

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

After years of contributing to championship-caliber teams, Plum is champing at the bit to lead her own squad.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 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

Through the open door that led into the barn came the sound of moving horses, of feet stirring, of teeth champing on hay, of the rattle of halter chains.

From "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• chomp