Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

chop suey

American  
[chop-soo-ee] / ˈtʃɒpˈsu i /
Or chop sooy

noun

  1. a Chinese-style American dish consisting of small pieces of meat, chicken, etc., cooked together with bean sprouts, onions, mushrooms, or other vegetables and seasoning, in a gravy, often served with rice and soy sauce.


chop suey British  
/ ˈsuːɪ /

noun

  1. a Chinese-style dish originating in the US, consisting of meat or chicken, bean sprouts, etc, stewed and served with rice

"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

Etymology

Origin of chop suey

1885–90, < dialectal Chinese (Guangdong) jaahp seui mixed bits, akin to Chinese zá suì

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.

When Sylvia Wu opened Madame Wu’s Garden in Los Angeles in 1959, chop suey houses still dominated American Chinese food.

From New York Times • Oct. 9, 2022

By the time Mr Chan had his first tastes of chop suey, there were relatively few Chinese Americans in the US - 0.08% of the total population - most of whom were descended from Toisan.

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2021

Under her guidance, the Mandarin rejected the orthodoxy of Chinese restaurants in mid-20th-century America: It didn’t serve chop suey or watered-down Cantonese dishes.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 28, 2020

What is this weird American Chinese dish called chop suey?

From Salon • Jun. 18, 2020

And I swear on the dictionary, if Freak ever tries to eat American chop suey again, I'll dump it on his head or something.

From "Freak The Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "chop suey" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com