chop

¹ American  

[chop] / tʃɒp /

verb (used with object)

chopped, chopping

1. to cut or sever with a quick, heavy blow or a series of blows, using an ax, hatchet, etc. (often followed by down, off, etc.).

   to chop down a tree.

2. to make or prepare for use by so cutting.

   to chop logs.

3. to cut in pieces; mince (often followed byup ).

   to chop up an onion; to chop meat.

4. (in tennis, cricket, etc.) to hit (a ball) with a chop stroke.

5. to weed and thin out (growing cotton) with a hoe.

6. Fox Hunting. (of a hound or pack) to attack and kill (a fox that has not begun to run).

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verb (used without object)

chopped, chopping

1. to make a quick, heavy stroke or a series of strokes, as with an ax.

2. Boxing. to throw or deliver a short blow, especially a downward one while in a clinch.

3. (in tennis, cricket, etc.) to employ or deliver a chop stroke.

4. to go, come, or move suddenly or violently.

noun

1. an act or instance of chopping.

2. a cutting blow.

3. Boxing. a short blow, especially a downward one, executed while in a clinch.

4. a piece chopped off.

5. an individual cut or portion of meat, as mutton, lamb, veal, or pork, usually one containing a rib.

6. crushed or ground grain used as animal feed.

7. a short, irregular, broken motion of waves; choppiness.

   There's too much chop for rowing today.

8. rough, turbulent water, as of a sea or lake.

9. (in tennis, cricket, etc.) a chop stroke.

idioms

1. chop / cut down to size. cut.

chop ² American  

[chop] / tʃɒp /

verb (used without object)

chopped, chopping

1. to turn, shift, or change suddenly.

   The wind chopped to the west.

2. to keep alternating between two states, positions, etc.; vacillate.

   The grain markets are chopping back and forth day to day because of the uncertain weather forecast.

3. Obsolete.

   1. to barter.

   2. to bandy words; argue.

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idioms

1. chop logic,

   1. to reason or dispute combatively, often by making unnecessary distinctions or spurious arguments.

      These men were forced by circumstances to think out how to deal with reality, instead of chopping logic in a university classroom.

      He chops logic so you won’t notice that he really has no case.

   2. reasoning that involves unnecessary distinctions or spurious arguments; rationalization.

      The court dismissed his defense as “chop logic of the most deceptive kind.”

2. chop and change, to keep shifting views, plans, practices, etc..

   People felt the government was chopping and changing too much on policy commitments.

chop ³ American  

[chop] / tʃɒp /

noun

1. Usually chops Also

   1. the jaw.

   2. the lower part of the cheek; the flesh over the lower jaw.

2. chops,

   1. the oral cavity; mouth.

   2. Slang. the embouchure or technique necessary to play a wind instrument.

   3. Slang. musical ability or virtuosity on any instrument, especially in playing jazz or rock.

   4. Slang. the music or musical part played by an instrumentalist, especially a solo passage.

   5. Slang. ability, talent, or skill, as in an occupation or activity.

      He began auditioning for roles in which he would get the chance to prove his acting chops.

3. an entranceway, as into a body of water.

4. Horology. either of two pieces clasping the end of the suspension spring of a pendulum.

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idioms

1. bust one's chops, to exert oneself.

2. lick one's chops, to await with pleasure; anticipate; relish.

   He was already licking his chops over the expected inheritance.

3. bust someone's chops, to annoy with nagging or criticism.

   Stop busting my chops—I'll get the job done.

chop ⁴ American  

[chop] / tʃɒp /

noun

1. an official stamp or seal, or a permit or clearance, especially as formerly used in India and China.

2. a design, corresponding to a brand or trademark, stamped on goods to indicate their identity or quality.

3. the signature stamp of an artist, printmaker, etc., testifying to the authenticity of a work.

4. quality, class, or grade.

   a musician of the first chop.

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chop ¹ British  

/ tʃɒp /

verb

1. to cut (something) with a blow from an axe or other sharp tool

2. (tr) to produce or make in this manner

   to chop firewood

3. to cut into pieces

4. informal (tr) to dispense with or reduce

5. (intr) to move quickly or violently

6. sport to hit (a ball) sharply downwards

7. boxing martial arts to punch or strike (an opponent) with a short sharp blow

8. an informal word for eat

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noun

1. a cutting blow

2. the act or an instance of chopping

3. a piece chopped off

4. a slice of mutton, lamb, or pork, generally including a rib

5. slang a share (esp in the phrase get or hop in for one's chop )

6. an informal word for food

7. a competition of skill and speed in chopping logs

8. sport a sharp downward blow or stroke

9. informal not much good; poor

10. slang dismissal from employment

chop ² British  

/ tʃɒp /

verb

1. (intr) to change direction suddenly; vacillate (esp in the phrase chop and change )

2. obsolete to barter

3. to use excessively subtle or involved logic or argument

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chop ³ British  

/ tʃɒp /

noun

1. a design stamped on goods as a trademark, esp in the Far East

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Usage

What is a basic definition of chop? Chop means to cut something with heavy blows or to cut something into pieces. Chop also refers to a piece of something that was chopped or a fast, downward blow in boxing or martial arts. Chop has many other senses as a verb and a noun. Chop is frequently followed by down, off, or another preposition. When something is chopped, it is struck with a sharp tool in order to cut it into pieces or completely destroy it. A person or thing that chops is called a chopper.

• Real-life examples: Lumberjacks chop down trees with axes or hatchets. A barber will chop off your hair with scissors. Firefighters might have to chop through a door with an axe in order to rescue someone.
• Used in a sentence: I helped my dad chop down a Christmas tree.  

Chop can also mean to cut something into pieces or slices. Unless it is referring to food, chop is almost always followed by the word up in this sense.

• Real-life examples: Butchers chop meat. Chefs will chop onions, carrots, celery, and many other ingredients. A person might chop up furniture in order to make it easier to throw away or burn.
• Used in a sentence: I chopped up a tomato and added it to my salad. 

A chop is a piece of something that has been chopped off of something else. This sense often refers to a slice or cut of meat.

• Real-life examples: Most grocery stores sell pork chops and lamb chops. You might feed your dog chops of beef.
• Used in a sentence: I watched the zookeepers feed the tigers big chops of meat. 

In boxing and martial arts, a chop is a quick, heavy blow that is usually delivered downward. You may be familiar with this sense because of the common use of karate chops as an attack in popular culture.

• Used in a sentence: Nia is able to perform a powerful chop that can cut through a stack of wood. 

Synonym Usage

See cut.

Etymology

Origin of chop¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English choppen; variant of chap ¹

Origin of chop²

First recorded in 1425–75; variant of obsolete chap “barter,” Middle English chappen (with vowel as in chapman ), chepen, Old English cēapian “to trade” (derivative of cēap “sale, trade”; see cheap)

Origin of chop³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; perhaps special use of chop ¹

Origin of chop⁴

First recorded in 1605–15, chop is from the Hindi word chāp “impression, stamp”

Explanation

To chop is to cut something by hacking at it. In many places, there are farms where you can chop down your own Christmas tree. When you chop wood, you usually hit it with an axe, splitting each length into narrow pieces. A chef uses a knife to chop, hacking an onion into tiny bits, for example. When it's a piece of meat that's cut so it's attached to a bone, such as part of a rib, it can be described as a chop — like a lamb chop. And if someone claps his hands at you and says, "Chop-chop!" he means "Hurry up!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chop chopped chopping

Roughly chop the onion by hand, or pulse it briefly in a food processor until finely chopped but not puréed.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

"Sadly, there had been numerous attempts by people to chop their nesting tree down and steal the eggs. I thoroughly enjoyed the task, and it was the start of 60 years of volunteering."

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

She had worked all her life; even as a small child, her school year was abbreviated so she could chop cotton for a few months on the plantation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

“I had to prop myself against this foam spike in front of my colleagues and friends, and then have Winona come up and chop my head off, which was incredible,” Bower says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

Once a soup was in the making, Nokomis left Angeline to stir and called Omakayas to come along and help chop taps to open the maples.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

But this week, in the region known as America’s Salad Bowl, around 300,000 pounds of his romaine hearts were chopped and plowed back into the soil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Epicurious’ recipe for a delicious summertime lettuce soup seasons, boils and purées a whole head of lettuce, including both the leaves and ribs, coarsely chopped.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

Andy Pages chopped a slow bouncer up the middle, and Turner charged.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Finish the tarts with lemon zest, chopped chives, additional pecorino and another turn of black pepper.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

“Do you think . . . ,” he started to say, but everyone was passing around the containers of shredded cheese and chopped onions, and no one seemed to hear him.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

She has now been competing in logrolling for 28 years and began sawing and chopping more recently.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

At one of Snabbit's training hubs in the southern tech hub of Bengaluru, workers rehearse tasks such as chopping vegetables against the clock.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

This is a dinner built for the evenings when the very idea of chopping an onion feels like one task too many.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

His remark suggests that the press conference after every meeting—a practice Powell instituted—could be on the chopping block.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

She chopped the meat fine with her chopping knife in the wooden bowl, she seasoned it with pepper and salt and spices.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Related Words

• cleave
• cube
• divide
• hack
• mince
• slash
• whack