chew

[choo]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chew ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

to perform the act of crushing or grinding with the teeth.

Informal. to chew tobacco.

to meditate.

noun

an act or instance of chewing.

something chewed or intended for chewing: a chew of tobacco; taffy chews.

Verb Phrases

chew out, Slang. to scold harshly: The sergeant chewed out the recruits.

Idioms

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.

Origin of chew

before 1000; Middle English chewen, Old English cēowan; cognate with Old High German kiuwan (German kauen)

Related formschew·er, nounun·chewed, adjectivewell-chewed, adjective

Can be confusedchews choose

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Was it, as some former employees allege, that the bosses bit off more than they could chew?
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We continuously pause to pull them out while Zalwar Khan and his companion smirk at us and chew unbothered.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley|Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She stares at me like I've asked her how she learned to chew solid food.
New York's Sexiest Kosher Corsets|Emily Shire|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

They chew this thing, a real thing, they do this until they foam at the mouth.
New York’s Tiniest—and Weirdest—Museum|Nina Strochlic|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was, however, usually something else to be done, for there was always their cud to chew.
Among the Farmyard People|Clara Dillingham Pierson
The fisherman stared at the barometer, bit off a chew, and grinned.
The Viking Blood|Frederick William Wallace
They chew Tomahawk, rough and ready preferred, Mr. Doubleday.
Held for Orders|Frank H. Spearman
You shall dig up old bones stealthily at night, and chew them against famine.
Irish Fairy Tales|James Stephens
If you shay it different, I'll chew your head like an apple caught in the crack of a door.
The Little Clay Cart|(Attributed To) King Shudraka

British Dictionary definitions for chew

chew

verb

to work the jaws and teeth in order to grind (food); masticate

to bite repeatedlyshe 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

noun

the act of chewing

something that is cheweda chew of tobacco

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

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.

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.

Idioms and Phrases with chew

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

chew

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

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Idioms

Origin of chew

Examples from the Web for chew

chew

verb

noun

Word Origin for chew

chew