chew

/tʃu/

/tʃu/

Other forms: chewing; chewed; chews

When you chew, you use your teeth to grind up food before you swallow it. It can be pretty unpleasant to watch your brother chew his pizza with his mouth open.

Usually when people chew, they chew up a bite of food or chew on a candy bar. You can also chew your nails or chew your lower lip — you're not actually eating something, but just using your teeth to gnaw or bite. You can also use the word chew figuratively, to mean "think or mull over." It comes from an Old English root, ceowan, "to gnaw or chew."

Definitions of chew

1. verb

   chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth
   synonyms: jaw, manducate, masticate

   types:

   champ, chomp

   chew noisily

   champ

   chafe at the bit, like horses

   gum, mumble

   grind with the gums; chew without teeth and with great difficulty

   chaw

   chew without swallowing

   crunch, munch

   chew noisily

   gnaw

   bite or chew on with the teeth

   type of:

   grate, grind

   make a grating or grinding sound by rubbing together
2. noun

   biting and grinding food in your mouth so it becomes soft enough to swallow
   synonyms: chewing, manduction, mastication

   types:

   chomping

   the act of chewing noisily

   gumming, mumbling

   ineffectual chewing (as if without teeth)

   rumination

   (of certain mammals like cattle, sheep, deer, etc) chewing the cud

   type of:

   change of state

   the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics
3. noun

   a wad of something chewable as tobacco
   synonyms: chaw, cud, plug, quid, wad

   type of:

   bit, bite, morsel

   a small amount of solid food; a mouthful