chow down

British  

verb

1. informal to eat heartily

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chow down Idioms  

1. Eat, as in He's always ready to chow down at dinner time. Originally military slang, this term is now more widely used. The noun chow in the sense of food, originating from either Chinese or pidgin English in the 18th century, also appears in such terms as chow line, a line of people waiting for food, and chow time, mealtime. [Slang; mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

When the snake emerges, it should find enough mice to chow down on.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

Perhaps the most popular place to chow down is Tracy’s Crab Shack in Juneau.

From Salon • Jul. 20, 2025

You could chow down at a taco truck or learn to draw Japanese calligraphy.

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2024

Condors can get lead poisoning if they chow down on animals shot by hunters using lead bullets.

From Science Magazine • May 2, 2023

“We can’t hold these trucks up any longer, so you guys are going to have to chow down at your units,” he said.

From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers