chow mein

American  

[chou meyn] / ˌtʃaʊ ˈmeɪn /

noun

1. a Chinese-style dish of steamed or stir-fried vegetables, topped with shredded chicken, shrimp, etc., and served with fried noodles.

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chow mein British  

/ meɪn /

noun

1. a Chinese-American dish, consisting of mushrooms, meat, shrimps, etc, served with fried noodles

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Etymology

Origin of chow mein

1900–05, < Chinese chǎo fry + miàn noodles, or < cognate dial. forms

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chow mein

To tell that complicated story, Hethington depends on dishes like Guyanese chow mein and Trini-Chinese chicken.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026

Since 1959, they’ve come for Chinese American classics such as sweet and sour chicken, barbecued pork chow mein, egg rolls, chop suey and shrimp fried rice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2025

Let’s take chow mein – there are endless varieties of this.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2024

His “CID salad” roams adjacent blocks with a sweet-side miso-sesame vinaigrette embracing bitter chicories and mandarin orange, with tangles of very thin, very crunchy fried chow mein joining in.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 2, 2023

"Because some people don't like chow mein for breakfast," Sydelle Pulaski replied.

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin