chew
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.
to perform the act of crushing or grinding with the teeth.
Informal. to chew tobacco.
to meditate.
an act or instance of chewing.
something chewed or intended for chewing: a chew of tobacco; taffy chews.
chew out, Slang. to scold harshly: The sergeant chewed out the recruits.
Idioms about chew
chew the fat, Informal. to converse at length in a relaxed manner; chat: They liked to sit around chewing the fat.: Also chew the rag.
Origin of chew
1Other words from chew
- chewer, noun
- un·chewed, adjective
- well-chewed, adjective
Words that may be confused with chew
- chews , choose
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use chew in a sentence
You cannot take your eyes off her for the entire film, as she vamps about, chewing up scenery and spitting out hearts.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’ | Marlow Stern | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTEven the brief time spent chewing exposes foods to enzymes that begin to break it down.
‘Rectal Feeding’ Has Nothing to Do with Nutrition, Everything to Do with Torture | Russell Saunders | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe also recently took home the Tony Award for his scenery-chewing portrayal of President Lyndon B. Johnson in All the Way.
Bryan Cranston on Walter White’s Future, Directing ‘Better Call Saul,’ and Hillary 2016 | Marlow Stern | August 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe grabs the steering wheel tighter and stops chewing his bubble gum.
Seeing Kate Mulgrew and Lorraine Toussaint go head-to-head, two scenery-chewing forces of nature, is a real pleasure to watch.
Inside ‘Orange Is the New Black’ S2, Eps. 6-12: About That Shocking Incest Scene | Kevin Fallon, Marlow Stern | June 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
All this while Squinty was chewing on the apple which he had picked up from the ground after he had jumped over the rope.
Squinty the Comical Pig | Richard BarnumIs there to be some mysterious affinity between chewing and the revolutions, especially the social revolutions of the future?
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.What the effect of chewing is on political and military affairs, it is not so easy to discover.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.Then rolling chewing-gum from one corner of his mouth into the other, he snapped off the electric light and walked from the room.
Dope | Sax RohmerKneeling down, he peered into the keyhole, holding the electric torch close beside his face and chewing industriously.
Dope | Sax Rohmer
British Dictionary definitions for chew
/ (tʃuː) /
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 or chew the rag slang
to argue over a point
to talk idly; gossip
the act of chewing
something that is chewed: a chew of tobacco
Origin of chew
1Derived forms of chew
- chewable, adjective
- chewer, noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with chew
In addition to the idioms beginning with chew
- chew out
- chew the cud
- chew the fat
also see:
- bite off more than one can chew
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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