chop

/tʃɑp/

/tʃɒp/

Other forms: chopped; chops; chopping

To chop is to cut something by hacking at it. In many places, there are farms where you can chop down your own Christmas tree.

When you chop wood, you usually hit it with an axe, splitting each length into narrow pieces. A chef uses a knife to chop, hacking an onion into tiny bits, for example. When it's a piece of meat that's cut so it's attached to a bone, such as part of a rib, it can be described as a chop — like a lamb chop. And if someone claps his hands at you and says, "Chop-chop!" he means "Hurry up!"

Definitions of chop

1. verb

   cut with a hacking tool
   synonyms: hack

   types:

   ax, axe

   chop or split with an ax

   type of:

   cut

   separate with or as if with an instrument
2. verb

   cut into pieces
   “Chop wood”

   “chop meat”

   synonyms: chop up

   types:

   hash

   chop up

   mince

   cut into small pieces

   type of:

   cut

   separate with or as if with an instrument
3. verb

   form or shape by chopping
   “chop a hole in the ground”

   type of:

   create, make

   make or cause to be or to become
4. verb

   hit sharply
   type of:

   hit, strike

   make a strategic, offensive, assault against an enemy, opponent, or a target
5. verb

   strike sharply, as in some sports
   type of:

   strike, zonk

   deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
6. noun

   a small cut of meat including part of a rib
   types:

   mutton chop

   chop cut from a mature sheep

   lamb chop, lamb-chop, lambchop

   chop cut from a lamb

   porkchop

   chop cut from a hog

   type of:

   cut, cut of meat

   a piece of meat that has been cut from an animal carcass
7. noun

   a tennis return made with a downward motion that puts backspin on the ball
   synonyms: chop shot

   type of:

   return

   a tennis stroke that sends the ball back to the other player
8. noun

   a grounder that bounces high in the air
   synonyms: chopper

   type of:

   ground ball, groundball, grounder, hopper

   (baseball) a hit that travels along the ground
9. verb

   move suddenly
   type of:

   move

   move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
10. noun

    the irregular motion of waves (usually caused by wind blowing in a direction opposite to the tide)
    “the boat headed into the chop”

    type of:

    physical phenomenon

    a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy
11. noun

    a jaw
    “I'll hit him on the chops”

    type of:

    jaw

    the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth