champ
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to bite upon or grind, especially impatiently.
The horses champed the oats.
-
to crush with the teeth and chew vigorously or noisily; munch.
-
to mash; crush.
verb (used without object)
noun
idioms
noun
verb
-
to munch (food) noisily like a horse
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to bite (something) nervously or impatiently; gnaw
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informal to be impatient to start work, a journey, etc
noun
-
the act or noise of champing
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dialect a dish, originating in Ireland, of mashed potatoes and spring onions or leeks
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing champ
"Riddles in the Dark"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for June 19–June 25, 2021
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And Then, Boom!
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Look out LeBron James and Michael Jordan, there's a new basketball champ around.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
Reigning champ “The Pitt” is the consensus No. 1.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
Entering Friday’s Game 5, the Spurs are one win away from an irresistible showdown with defending champ Oklahoma City.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
The five-time major champion goes back to his roots with Irish champ as a main course side dish to accompany either wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
But the undisputed champ of the purgatives was born in the enterprising mind of a jockey’s masseur named Frank “Frenchy” Hawley.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
