Definition

1. Noun:
   • A breed of dog: A medium-sized dog breed characterized by a thick coat, a fluffy curled tail, and a distinctive blue-black tongue, believed to have originated in northern China.
   • Informal term for food: A casual, slang word for a meal or food in general.
   • A Chinese dynasty: The imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BC, notable for the rise of Confucianism and Taoism.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Dog breed):
  • The chow is known for its lion-like mane and aloof personality.
  • They have a beautiful red chow.
• Noun (Food):
  • Let's grab some chow before the movie.
  • The chow in the cafeteria is pretty good today.
• Noun (Dynasty):
  • The Zhou dynasty (often spelled "Chow" in older texts) was a formative period in Chinese philosophy.

Advanced Usage

• "Chow down": To eat something heartily or quickly.
  • After the hike, we were ready to chow down on some burgers.
• "Chow line": A line of people waiting to get food, especially in a military or institutional setting.
  • The soldiers formed a chow line at the mess tent.

Variants and Related Words

• Chow chow: The full name for the dog breed.
  • The chow chow is one of the oldest dog breeds.
• Chowhound (noun, informal): A person who loves to eat, often a lot.
  • My brother is a real chowhound; he's always thinking about food.

Synonyms

• Food: Grub, eats, nosh (all informal).
• Meal: Repast (formal).
• Dog breed: Chow chow.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Chow down on (something): To eat something eagerly.
  • He chowed down on the pizza as if he hadn't eaten in days.

Related Idioms

• "Chow time": An informal announcement that it is time to eat.
  • The cook yelled, "Chow time!" and everyone rushed to the table.

Noun

1. breed of medium-sized dogs with a thick coat and fluffy curled tails and distinctive blue-black tongues; believed to have originated in northern China
2. informal terms for a meal
3. the imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BC; notable for the rise of Confucianism and Taoism