chomp
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
noun
Etymology
Origin of chomp
variant of champ 1
Explanation
To chomp is to bite something in a greedy, noisy way. If you've got five minutes to eat breakfast, you might quickly chomp your bagel as you walk to catch the bus. People who chomp their food are either extremely hungry or somewhat ill-mannered: watching someone chomp a hamburger and fries can make you lose your appetite. You can also use chomp as a noun, to mean "a great big bite," as when your brother grabs your slice of pizza and takes a chomp. The word has been used in American English since the mid-1600s, from the earlier verb champ.
Vocabulary lists containing chomp
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.
Australia's oceans are teeming with sharks, with great whites topping the list of species that might fatally chomp a human.
From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025
What does the bubble gum they chomp during “Too Pooped to Pop” give them?
From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2024
Each year, fans pick their favourite of 12 plump brown bears from Alaska's Katmai National Park that have gathered along the Brooks River to chomp on salmon and pack on as many pounds before winter.
From BBC • Oct. 11, 2023
Biting into a Red Delicious is always a major gamble because oftentimes, you'll be anticipating a nice juicy chomp, only to fill your mouth with mushy, brown-hued bits of fruit.
From Salon • Sep. 4, 2023
It sounds like a real winner, she wanted to say, but managed to chomp down on her tongue somehow.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
