chivy
Britishverb
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(tr) to harass or nag
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(tr) to hunt
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(intr) to run about
noun
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a hunt
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obsolete a hunting cry
Etymology
Origin of chivy
C19: variant of chevy, probably from Chevy Chase, title of a Scottish border ballad
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.
He, almost alone, did not spend the final few minutes bellowing and barking and chivying and chiding: There was not a drop of energy left in his body.
From New York Times
He would routinely chivy his friends into the ring in order to engage in tests of strength.
From Washington Post
Progress isn’t as far advanced as it is on the OECD’s parallel project to clamp down on private-banking tax havens, but it is already showing signs of chivying companies into action.
He continued to chivy the sausage, his face deep in his book, as the front door let out a loud wha-pop!
From Literature
She chivvies the youngest by telling him that a lion is pacing right behind.
From Economist
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.
