51Թ

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View synonyms for

chew

[choo]

verb (used with object)

  1. to crush or grind with the teeth; masticate.

  2. to crush, damage, injure, etc., as if by chewing (often followed byup ).

    The faulty paper feeder chewed the letters up.

  3. to make by or as if by chewing.

    The puppy chewed a hole in my slipper.

  4. to meditate on; consider deliberately (often followed byover ).

    He chewed the problem over in his mind.



verb (used without object)

  1. to perform the act of crushing or grinding with the teeth.

  2. Informal.to chew tobacco.

  3. to meditate.

noun

  1. an act or instance of chewing.

  2. something chewed or intended for chewing.

    a chew of tobacco; taffy chews.

verb phrase

  1. Slangto scold harshly.

    The sergeant chewed out the recruits.

chew

/ ʃː /

verb

  1. to work the jaws and teeth in order to grind (food); masticate

  2. to bite repeatedly

    she chewed her nails anxiously

  3. (intr) to use chewing tobacco

  4. slang

    1. to argue over a point

    2. to talk idly; gossip

“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

noun

  1. the act of chewing

  2. something that is chewed

    a chew of tobacco

“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
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • chewer noun
  • unchewed adjective
  • well-chewed adjective
  • ˈɲ adjective
  • ˈɱ noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of chew1

before 1000; Middle English chewen, Old English ŧǷɲ; cognate with Old High German kiuwan ( German kauen )
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of chew1

Old English ceowan; related to Old High German kiuwan, Dutch kauwen, Latin Բī a gum
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. chew the fat, to converse at length in a relaxed manner; chat: Also chew the rag.

    They liked to sit around chewing the fat.

In addition to the idioms beginning with chew, also see bite off more than one can chew.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It defined a tobacco product as something designed to be "smoked, sniffed, sucked or chewed".

From

This moment sticks in the mind, the intimacy of a family in which a present for the mother becomes a treat for the child, whose chewed and discarded food is finished by the father.

From

The 46-year-old knew she was taking on a sizeable task but she's keen to show she hasn't bitten off more than one can chew.

From

“He opened it up, chewed all of them and then spit a big wad of gum about … the size of a softball.”

From

"The chimpanzees dab them on their wounds or chew the plants up, and then apply the chewed material to the open injury."

From

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Related 51Թs

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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