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chew
[ choo ]
verb (used with object)
- to crush or grind with the teeth; masticate.
- to crush, damage, injure, etc., as if by chewing (often followed by up ):
The faulty paper feeder chewed the letters up.
- to make by or as if by chewing:
The puppy chewed a hole in my slipper.
- to meditate on; consider deliberately (often followed by over ):
He chewed the problem over in his mind.
verb (used without object)
- to perform the act of crushing or grinding with the teeth.
- Informal. to chew tobacco.
- to meditate.
noun
- an act or instance of chewing.
- something chewed or intended for chewing:
a chew of tobacco; taffy chews.
verb phrase
- Slang. to scold harshly:
The sergeant chewed out the recruits.
chew
/ tʃuː /
verb
- to work the jaws and teeth in order to grind (food); masticate
- to bite repeatedly
she chewed her nails anxiously
- intr to use chewing tobacco
- chew the fat slang.chew the fatchew the rag
- to argue over a point
- to talk idly; gossip
noun
- the act of chewing
- something that is chewed
a chew of tobacco
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Derived Forms
- ˈchewable, adjective
- ˈchewer, noun
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Other Words From
- chewer noun
- un·chewed adjective
- well-chewed adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of chew1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of chew1
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Idioms and Phrases
- chew the fat, Informal. to converse at length in a relaxed manner; chat: Also chew the rag.
They liked to sit around chewing the fat.
More idioms and phrases containing chew
- bite off more than one can chew
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Example Sentences
She narrowed her eyes, bit her lip as if to chew over the question, and whisked some stray blond hairs away from her face.
Was it, as some former employees allege, that the bosses bit off more than they could chew?
We continuously pause to pull them out while Zalwar Khan and his companion smirk at us and chew unbothered.
She stares at me like I've asked her how she learned to chew solid food.
They chew this thing, a real thing, they do this until they foam at the mouth.
"All right," said Dan, biting off a big chew from the plug he was holding, and restoring the rest to his pocket.
If the decision had been against a fight, Dan would have put the plug back without taking a chew.
They both chew and smoke, and they are certainly the dirtiest chewers in the world.
If they are depressed, they smoke or chew tobacco, and gladden themselves therewith.
Then Chew-chew pointed out many herds and they all danced for joy.
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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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