chomp
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chompsimple
-
chompssimple
-
have chompedperfect
-
has chompedperfect
-
am chompingprogressive
-
are chompingprogressive
-
is chompingprogressive
-
have been chompingperfect progressive
-
has been chompingperfect progressive
Past
-
chompedsimple
-
had chompedperfect
-
was chompingprogressive
-
were chompingprogressive
-
had been chompingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
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
And feel totally comfortable slipping them on as I grade papers from my memoir students, blast Lil Durk from my portable speaker and take a massive chomp out of a piece of avocado toast.
From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2023
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
Just as the Nightbeast was about to open its mouth and chomp down, Seven took a chance.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Even the way she chomps a cherry off a cocktail toothpick has menace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2025
Tampopo grows its arugula under insect netting to fight the Northwest flea beetle that otherwise chomps on the leaves.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 23, 2024
“Shut up!” the queen barks at Kate, and proceeds to grill her while a menacing, Cockney-bruiser Philip chomps on a toothpick and plays with the future princess’s hair.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 20, 2022
Rapping like a cartoon rottweiler, Em chomps his way through the beat in a way that is linguistically dizzying.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 20, 2020
A lone raptor stood in the shadowy stable area, devouring some small pest with messy chomps and snorfs.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
At one point father and baby ate grass together, the big grass fronds flickering around their heads as they chomped.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
Then, when a wildfire comes through and natives begin to regrow, they’re chomped back down, creating a vicious cycle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
By April, Alligator had chomped into the US Top 10, and the UK Top 40.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2025
The young meat-eater had chomped off the hind legs of two parrot-like dinosaurs called caenagnathids before perishing itself.
From National Geographic ● Dec. 8, 2023
King Bull Sparra crammed the last candied chestnuts into his beak and chomped with evident enjoyment.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Tom Curtis has gone viral by recording a video of himself chomping on a Whopper and even posting his phone number online.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
“We’ve been chomping at the bit to get going,” Wong said, “and these are the funds that accelerate things.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
The chaotic recording sessions featured a bucket of fire and musicians chomping vegetables.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2025
There is, of course, some suspicious, terrifying revelation promised that will surely result in lots of screaming and chomping.
From Salon ● Jan. 3, 2025
“It’s another world,” said Owen, chomping his large cigar, a habit of his.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
