chew
/tʃu:/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb:
- To crush or grind food with the teeth: The primary action of using the jaws and teeth to break down food into smaller pieces in preparation for swallowing.
- To bite on something repeatedly: The act of working something in the mouth with the teeth, not necessarily for eating (e.g., gum, a pen).
Noun:
- An act or instance of chewing: The process of biting and grinding with the teeth.
- Something meant for chewing: A piece of a substance, like tobacco or gum, that is designed to be chewed but not swallowed.
Usage Examples
Verb:
- You must chew your food thoroughly before swallowing.
- The puppy likes to chew on my slippers.
- He was nervously chewing his pen during the exam.
Noun:
- After a few good chews, the meat became easier to swallow.
- He put a chew of tobacco in his mouth.
Advanced Usage
"to chew the fat" (idiomatic): To have a long, informal conversation.
- We sat on the porch, just chewing the fat for hours.
"to chew the cud" (idiomatic): Literally, for ruminant animals to re-chew food; figuratively, to think deeply about something.
- He needed some time alone to chew the cud on the manager's proposal.
"to chew out" (phrasal verb): To scold or reprimand someone severely.
- The coach chewed out the team for their lack of effort.
Variants and Related Words
Chewy (adj): Having a texture that requires a lot of chewing.
- The caramel was delicious but very chewy.
Chewer (n): A person or animal that chews.
- Our dog is a powerful chewer and needs durable toys.
Synonyms
- Masticate (verb, formal): To chew food.
- Gnaw (verb): To bite or chew on something persistently, often causing wear or damage.
Related Phrasal Verbs
Chew over: To think about or consider something carefully.
- I need a few days to chew over your offer before I decide.
Chew up:
- To damage or destroy something by chewing.
- The puppy chewed up my favorite book.
- (Informal) To use a resource, especially time.
- The traffic jam really chewed up our travel time.
Related Idioms
"Bite off more than you can chew": To take on a task that is too big or difficult to handle.
- By accepting three major projects at once, she bit off more than she could chew.
"Chew the scenery": To act in an overly dramatic or theatrical manner.
- The villain in the play was just chewing the scenery, which made the audience laugh.
Noun
- biting and grinding food in your mouth so it becomes soft enough to swallow
- a wad of something chewable as tobacco
Verb
- chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth
- He jawed his bubble gum
- Chew your food and don't swallow it!
- The cows were masticating the grass