chopsticks

American

[chop-stiks] / ˈtʃɒpˌstɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

a harmonically and melodically simple waltz for piano played typically with the forefinger of each hand and sometimes having an accompanying part for a second player.

chopsticks British

/ ˈtʃɒpstɪks /

plural noun

a pair of thin sticks, of ivory, wood, etc, used as eating utensils by the Chinese, Japanese, and other people of East Asia

"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

Etymology

Origin of chopsticks

1890–95; perhaps after chopstick from the way the fingers are held

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.

They shared fried pork dumplings in a sweet black sauce, and Glory even tried to teach him how to use chopsticks.

From Literature

The chopsticks are still in a jar on a kitchen counter.

From Literature

The valor comes when she picks her chopsticks up.

From Los Angeles Times

Mahan paused, his chopsticks hovering over a custard dumpling.

From Los Angeles Times

Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana was also the target of such a boycott in 2018, after it posted videos showing a Chinese model using chopsticks clumsily to eat Italian food.

From BBC

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