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

Over in the canteen, Syrian and African musicians chow down with Posdnuos from De La Soul and sitar legend Anoushka Shankar.

From BBC • Jun. 21, 2026

For example, there is some debate about whether the large jaws of P. boisei were used to crack hard foods like nuts or simply chow down on plants.

From Salon • Nov. 29, 2024

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

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2024

He pointed to a row of chairs near the cash register as we began to chow down.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2024

Remove a chimpanzee from its mother, and it will still play with its friends and chow down on whatever you put in front of it.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer