chew
Americanverb (used with object)
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to crush or grind with the teeth; masticate.
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to crush, damage, injure, etc., as if by chewing (often followed byup ).
The faulty paper feeder chewed the letters up.
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to make by or as if by chewing.
The puppy chewed a hole in my slipper.
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to meditate on; consider deliberately (often followed byover ).
He chewed the problem over in his mind.
verb (used without object)
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to perform the act of crushing or grinding with the teeth.
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Informal. to chew tobacco.
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to meditate.
noun
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an act or instance of chewing.
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something chewed or intended for chewing.
a chew of tobacco; taffy chews.
verb phrase
idioms
verb
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to work the jaws and teeth in order to grind (food); masticate
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to bite repeatedly
she chewed her nails anxiously
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(intr) to use chewing tobacco
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slang
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to argue over a point
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to talk idly; gossip
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noun
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the act of chewing
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something that is chewed
a chew of tobacco
Other Word Forms
- chewable adjective
- chewer noun
- unchewed adjective
- well-chewed adjective
Etymology
Origin of chew
before 1000; Middle English chewen, Old English cēowan; cognate with Old High German kiuwan ( German kauen )
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.
The breakfast table, once a neutral space, now feels charged with meaning — who arrived first, who looks relaxed, who’s chewing contentedly while others watch.
From Salon
She was just standing there under a big sycamore, chewing her cud, and looking as innocent as the day she was born.
From Literature
Milk, our goat, stood tethered to a tree, chewing leaves off a shrub.
From Literature
Did you feel like you’d been chewed up by the record industry in any way?
From Los Angeles Times
A few minutes later, while Katherine was chewing and actually had her mouth shut for once, he tried again.
From Literature
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.
