Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for chew on Thesaurus.com to crush or grind with the teeth; masticate. to crush, damage, injure, etc., as if by chewing (often followed by up ): The faulty paper feeder chewed the letters up. to make by or as if by chewing: The puppy chewed a hole in my slipper. to meditate on; consider deliberately (often followed by over ): He chewed the problem over in his mind. Show More
verb (used without object) to perform the act of crushing or grinding with the teeth. Informal to chew tobacco. to meditate. Show More
an act or instance of chewing. something chewed or intended for chewing: a chew of tobacco; taffy chews. Show More
chew out , Slang to scold harshly: The sergeant chewed out the recruits. Show More
chew the fat , Informal to converse at length in a relaxed manner; chat: They liked to sit around chewing the fat. Also chew the rag. Show More
Origin of chew before 1000; Middle English chewen, Old English cēowan; cognate with Old High German kiuwan (German kauen )
Related forms chew·er , noun un·chewed , adjective well-chewed , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for chew bite ,
gnaw ,
nibble ,
chomp ,
crunch ,
scrunch ,
rend ,
munch ,
gum ,
gulp ,
dispatch ,
masticate ,
chaw ,
champ ,
ruminate ,
manducate ,
ponder ,
consider ,
mull ,
deliberate Examples from the Web for chew Contemporary Examples of chew She narrowed her eyes, bit her lip as if to chew over the question, and whisked some stray blond hairs away from her face.
Was it, as some former employees allege, that the bosses bit off more than they could chew ?
We continuously pause to pull them out while Zalwar Khan and his companion smirk at us and chew unbothered.
She stares at me like I've asked her how she learned to chew solid food.
They chew this thing, a real thing, they do this until they foam at the mouth.
Historical Examples of chew Easton said one day that he would like to have something to chew on.
You mean that she did not—did not find your friend Bob something to chew upon?
He took a chew of tobacco and prepared to give his best attention.
Chew you the cud of that until the hangman's coming in the morning.
Mr. Pike bit off a chew of black plug, and shook his head ruminatively.
British Dictionary definitions for chew to work the jaws and teeth in order to grind (food); masticate to bite repeatedly she chewed her nails anxiously (intr) to use chewing tobacco chew the fat or chew the rag slang to argue over a point to talk idly; gossip Show More
the act of chewing something that is chewed a chew of tobacco Show More
Derived Forms chewable , adjective chewer , noun Word Origin for chew Old English ceowan; related to Old High German kiuwan, Dutch kauwen, Latin gingīva a gum
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for chew v. Old English ceowan "to bite, gnaw, chew," from West Germanic *keuwwan (cf. Middle Low German keuwen , Dutch kauwen , Old High German kiuwan , German kauen ), from PIE root *gyeu- "to chew" (cf. Old Church Slavonic živo "to chew," Lithuanian žiaunos "jaws," Persian javidan "to chew").
Figurative sense of "to think over" is from late 14c.; to chew the rag "discusss some matter" is from 1885, apparently originally British army slang. Related: Chewed ; chewing . To chew (someone) out (1948) probably is military slang from World War II. Chewing gum is by 1843, American English, originally hardened secretions of the spruce tree.
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n. c.1200, "an act of chewing," from chew (v.). Meaning "wad of tobacco chewed at one time" is from 1725; as a kind of chewy candy, by 1906.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with chew In addition to the idioms beginning with chew
chew out chew the cud chew the fat also see:
bite off more than one can chew Show More
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
