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potato chip

American  

noun

  1. a thin slice of potato fried until crisp and usually salted.


potato chip British  

noun

  1. (usually plural) another name for chip

  2. Also called (in eg Britain): crisp(usually plural) a very thin slice of potato fried and eaten cold as a snack

"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

Etymology

Origin of potato chip

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A bottle cap or crease in a potato chip bag is fair game.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

Boulder Canyon is the No. 1 potato chip brand in the “natural” snack food channel.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 7, 2026

"I just pop it in my mouth like a potato chip," she said, adding that it feels like a "healthier alternative".

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

The company is adding more protein- and fiber-laden products and recently revamped its Lay’s potato chip brand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

Inside the first bag was common everyday trash—soda bottles, soup cans, potato chip wrappers, apple cores.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen