champ
verb (used with object)
to bite upon or grind, especially impatiently.
were champing
-
past progressiveof champ.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
If anything they were champing at the bit for a real horse race against Trump because that would make for excellent copy.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2023
After a rain delay, Australia's batters were champing at the bit to get out there.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2023
“The rest of us were champing at the bit to speak out and maintained a silence about this,” this NAM member says.
From Science Magazine ● Oct. 28, 2022
As for the artists on the program, far from shying away from playing a jazz festival during the pandemic, they were champing at the bit.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 27, 2021
Their equipages were crowded together on one side of the square, and around them the horses, now held by their liveried jockeys, were champing their bits and pawing the ground with restless hoofs.
From Joseph II. and His Court by L. (Luise) Mühlbach
