chew

American  

[choo] / tʃu /

verb (used with object)

1. to crush or grind with the teeth; masticate.

2. to crush, damage, injure, etc., as if by chewing (often followed byup ).

   The faulty paper feeder chewed the letters up.

3. to make by or as if by chewing.

   The puppy chewed a hole in my slipper.

4. to meditate on; consider deliberately (often followed byover ).

   He chewed the problem over in his mind.

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verb (used without object)

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

2. Informal. to chew tobacco.

3. to meditate.

noun

1. an act or instance of chewing.

2. something chewed or intended for chewing.

   a chew of tobacco; taffy chews.

verb phrase

1. chew out to scold harshly.

   The sergeant chewed out the recruits.

idioms

1. chew the fat, to converse at length in a relaxed manner; chat: Also chew the rag.

   They liked to sit around chewing the fat.

chew British  

/ tʃuː /

verb

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

2. to bite repeatedly

   she chewed her nails anxiously

3. (intr) to use chewing tobacco

4. slang

   1. to argue over a point

   2. to talk idly; gossip

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noun

1. the act of chewing

2. something that is chewed

   a chew of tobacco

chew More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing chew

• bite off more than one can chew

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Other Word Forms

• chewable adjective
• chewer noun
• unchewed adjective
• well-chewed adjective

Etymology

Origin of chew

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

Example Sentences

Those few boos were silly but they probably reflected the lack of something to cheer about, the lack of red meat to chew on.

From BBC

Some of the crucial work done at Bell Labs might now seem mundane: for example, how to fabricate sheathing so undersea cables wouldn’t be chewed through by Toredo worms.

From The Wall Street Journal

It chewed through rubber tires and engine hoses.

From Los Angeles Times

"He literally went from chewing the walls of a Gold Coast apartment to roaming through the Aussie bush on a mission to save our most iconic species," Sharrad said.

From Barron's

In these big games, he doesn’t just chew the scenery, he orders it rare and asks for seconds.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bite
• chomp
• gnaw
• nibble