Dictionary.com

chow

1
[ chou ]
/ tʃaʊ /
Informal.
See synonyms for chow on Thesaurus.com

noun

food, especially hearty dishes or a meal.

Verb Phrases

chow down, to eat; eat a meal, especially the main meal of the day: In the army we usually chow down at 6 p.m.

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
owl
crow
piranha
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of chow

1
1855–60, Americanism; short for chow-chow

Words nearby chow

Chou En-lai, chouette, chough, chouse, choux pastry, chow, chow chow, chowder, chowderhead, chow down, chowhound

Definition for chow (2 of 3)

chow2
[ chou ]
/ tʃaʊ /

noun (often initial capital letter)

chow chow.

Origin of chow

2
Short form

Definition for chow (3 of 3)

Chow
[ chou ]
/ tʃaʊ /

noun Australian Disparaging and Offensive.

a contemptuous term used to refer to a Chinese person.

Origin of Chow

First recorded in 1870–75; special use of spelling variant (Chow) of Chou
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to chow

mess, meal, eats, grub, victuals

Example sentences from the Web for chow

  • You might get lucky and tap out some pattern that spells 'Come to chow' in the Hlat's vocabulary.

    Lion Loose|James H. Schmitz

British Dictionary definitions for chow

chow
/ (tʃaʊ) /

noun

informal food
short for chow-chow (def. 1)
See also chow down
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