chip

[ chip ]

See synonyms for: chip chipped chipping chips on Thesaurus.com

noun

a small, slender piece, as of wood, separated by chopping, cutting, or breaking.
a very thin slice or small piece of food, candy, etc.: chocolate chips.

a mark or flaw made by the breaking off or gouging out of a small piece: This glass has a chip.
any of the small round disks, usually of plastic or ivory, used as tokens for money in certain gambling games, as roulette or poker; counter.
Also called microchip .Electronics. a tiny slice of semiconducting material, generally in the shape of a square a few millimeters long, cut from a larger wafer of the material, on which a transistor or an entire integrated circuit is formed.: Compare microprocessor.
a small cut or uncut piece of a diamond or crystal.
anything trivial or worthless.
something dried up or without flavor.
a piece of dried dung: buffalo chips.
wood, straw, etc., in thin strips for weaving into hats, baskets, etc.
Golf. chip shot.
Tennis. a softly sliced return shot with heavy backspin.
the strip of material removed by a recording stylus as it cuts the grooves in a record.
chips, Chiefly British. French fries.

verb (used with object),chipped, chip·ping.

to hew or cut with an ax, chisel, etc.
to cut, break off, or gouge out (bits or fragments): He chipped a few pieces of ice from the large cube.

to disfigure by breaking off a fragment: to chip the edge of a saucer.
to shape or produce by cutting or flaking away pieces: to chip a figure out of wood.
Games. to bet by means of chips, as in poker.
Tennis. to slice (a ball) on a return shot, causing it to have heavy backspin.
Slang. to take (a narcotic drug) occasionally, especially only in sufficient quantity to achieve a mild euphoria.
Chiefly British Sports. to hit or kick (a ball) a short distance forward.
British Slang. to jeer or criticize severely; deride; taunt.
Australian. to hoe; harrow.

verb (used without object),chipped, chip·ping.

to break off in small pieces.
Golf. to make a chip shot.

Verb Phrases

chip in,
- to contribute money or assistance; participate.
- Games. to bet a chip or chips, as in poker.
- to interrupt a conversation to say something; butt in: We all chipped in with our suggestions for the reunion.

Idioms about chip

chip off the old block, a person who resembles one parent in appearance or behavior: His son is just a chip off the old block.
chip on one's shoulder, a disposition to quarrel: You will never make friends if you go around with a chip on your shoulder.

in the chips, Slang. wealthy; rich: Don't look down on your old friends now that you're in the chips.
when the chips are down, in a discouraging or disadvantageous situation; in bad or pressing times: When the chips are down he proves to be a loyal friend.

Origin of chip

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun chippe, chip “chip, shaving, splinter” (compare Old English cipp “plowshare, beam, i.e., piece cut off)”; compare Old Saxon kipp “stick,” Old Norse keppr “stick,” Old High German kipfa “wagon pole”; late Middle English verb chippen “to cut, cut up, trim, chop” (compare Old English -cippian in forcippian “to cut off)”; akin to Middle Low German, Middle Dutch kippen “to chip (eggs), hatch”; perhaps all the Germanic forms derive from Latin cip(p)us “boundary stone, tombstone, stake, post, pillar“

Other words from chip

chip·pa·ble, adjective
un·chip·pa·ble, adjective

Other definitions for chip (2 of 3)

chip²

[ chip ]

verb (used without object),chipped, chip·ping.

to utter a short chirping or squeaking sound; cheep.

noun

a short chirping or squeaking cry.

Origin of chip

First recorded in 1880–85; variant of cheep

Other definitions for chip (3 of 3)

chip³

[ chip ]

nounWrestling.

a tricky or special method by which an opponent can be thrown.

Origin of chip

First recorded in 1820–30; noun use of chip “to trip up”; cognate with German kippen “to tip over,” Old Norse kippa “to pull”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chip in a sentence

It invites dictatorial and rogue regimes to use Americans serving overseas as bargaining chips.
Aging Cuban Exiles And Their Lawmakers Bypassed by White House | Romina Ruiz-Goiriena | December 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
At under 200 pages, the book seems like chips and salsa on the table when you are expecting a four course meal.
Noam Chomsky—Infuriating and Necessary | David Masciotra | September 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
By 6:15, the tented concession stands have run out of sandwiches and chips and are only selling granola bars and soda.
Beyonce, Jay Z & No Doubt Sing to End Global Poverty in Central Park | Caitlin Dickson | September 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And what that left was the jewelry and the stack of black chips and the girl who worked nights for a living.
The Stacks: Pete Dexter on What It’s Like to Lose the Knack of Having Fun | Pete Dexter | September 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In 2012, the new chips were rolled out—first as Ruffles Ultimate in the U.S. in the spring.
The Latest in High-Tech Chips | | September 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

A Laplander who cannot get Tobacco sucks chips of a barrel or pieces of anything else which has contained it.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
Thereafter we were buffeted like chips in the swirling maw of a whirlpool; we fought our way rod by rod.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
This explanation seemed very likely, for here and there were stumps of trees and decaying chips.
The Box-Car Children | Gertrude Chandler Warner
Two boys waded out into the sea, one with a stick, and the other with a quantity of burning chips.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
She sat sewing daily by the swimming pool while Benny sailed wonderful boats of chips, and waded around to his heart's content.
The Box-Car Children | Gertrude Chandler Warner

British Dictionary definitions for chip

chip

/ (tʃɪp) /

noun

a small piece removed by chopping, cutting, or breaking
a mark left after a small piece has been chopped, cut, or broken off something

(in some games) a counter used to represent money
a thin strip of potato fried in deep fat
US and Canadian a very thin slice of potato fried and eaten cold as a snack: Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): crisp
a small piece or thin slice of food
sport a shot, kick, etc, lofted into the air, esp over an obstacle or an opposing player's head, and travelling only a short distance
electronics a tiny wafer of semiconductor material, such as silicon, processed to form a type of integrated circuit or component such as a transistor
a thin strip of wood or straw used for making woven hats, baskets, etc
NZ a container for soft fruit, made of thin sheets of wood; punnet
cheap as chips British informal inexpensive; good value
chip off the old block informal a person who resembles one of his or her parents in behaviour
have a chip on one's shoulder informal to be aggressively sensitive about a particular thing or bear a grudge
have had one's chips British informal to be defeated, condemned to die, killed, etc
when the chips are down informal at a time of crisis or testing

verbchips, chipping or chipped

to break small pieces from or become broken off in small pieces: will the paint chip?
(tr) to break or cut into small pieces: to chip ice

(tr) to shape by chipping
sport to strike or kick (a ball) in a high arc

Origin of chip

Old English cipp (n), cippian (vb), of obscure origin

Derived forms of chip

chipper, noun

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

Scientific definitions for chip

chip

[ chĭp ]

Other Idioms and Phrases with chip

chip

In addition to the idioms beginning with chip

chip and dip
chip in
chip off the old block
chip on one's shoulder

also see:

cash in (one's chips)
in the money (chips)
let the chips fall where they may
when the chips are down

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