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• chow
  chow

  noun

  food, especially hearty dishes or a meal.
• Chow
  Chow

  noun

  a contemptuous term used to refer to a Chinese person.

chow

¹ American  

[chau] / tʃaʊ /

noun

1. food, especially hearty dishes or a meal.

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verb phrase

1. 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.

chow ² American  

[chau] / tʃaʊ /

noun

(often initial capital letter)

1. chow chow.

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Chow ³ American  

[chau] / tʃaʊ /

noun

Australian Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Chinese person.

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chow British  

/ tʃaʊ /

noun

1. informal food

2. short for chow-chow

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Etymology

Origin of chow¹

1855–60, short for chow-chow

Origin of chow²

Short form

Origin of Chow³

First recorded in 1870–75; special use of spelling variant ( Chow ) of Chou ( def. )

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Explanation

Chow is food. You might offer to make your little sister her favorite chow for her birthday: macaroni and cheese with chocolate cake for dessert. The word chow is an informal way to say "food" or "meal." Someone happily gobbling tacos might say, "I just love Mexican chow," or your dad might open up a pizza delivery box and yell, "Time for chow, everybody!" Chow is an American English word that originated in California around 1856, from the Chinese pidgin English chow-chow, "food," which probably originated with the Chinese cha, "mixed."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chow Chow

In Kashgar, middle-aged Chinese men in cowboy hats descend from tour buses to chow down on grilled lamb skewers and pilaf.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

“I’m not a big fan of eating too much on game day so when I saw that melted cheese and a whole lot of carbs, I was ready to chow down,” he said this week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

When the animals could freely choose between standard chow and soybean oil, the OPA1-deficient mice consumed more fat and gained additional weight.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

Artificial intelligence may have already taken a bite out of software this year, but a profit warning from IBM indicates that it’s hardware’s turn to chow down.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

I sat with him at chow and listened for a while as he talked about movies.

From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers

Wong became a household name during Hong Kong's 2014 protests, known as the Umbrella Movement, after he gave speeches alongside fellow student leaders Nathan Law and Alex Chow.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

This year’s event, its 15th edition, will honor artist Vija Celmins and filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, and be co-hosted by Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

DBS economists Taimur Baig and Nathan Chow expect Malaysia’s economy to have grown 5.0% in the third quarter, supported by export-oriented manufacturing as demand for AI-related electronics remains strong.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Labour supporter Stanley Chow, who created the image for Burnham's 2021 mayoral campaign in Greater Manchester, has claimed the party did not ask for permission to use the image.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Footage of Bebe Chow holding a picture of May Ling at one month old, pleading for her baby back.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

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