Definition

1. Verb:
   • To break or cause a small piece to break away from a larger object or mass. This typically refers to a fragment detaching from the edge or surface of something hard or brittle.

Usage

• The verb "chip off" describes the action where a small piece separates from a main body. It is often used in the context of damage or wear to materials like wood, stone, paint, or teeth. It can be used both transitively (with a direct object) and intransitively (without a direct object).

Examples

• Transitive use (with an object):
  • Be careful not to chip off the antique paint when you move the dresser.
  • The impact chipped off a piece of the marble countertop.
• Intransitive use (often as "chip off" or "chip off of"):
  • A large flake of plaster chipped off the ceiling.
  • If you use that metal tool, the enamel might chip off.

Advanced Usage

• "Chip off the old block": This is an idiom. It is not a direct usage of the verb phrase "chip off" but is a related fixed expression. It means a person (usually a son) who is very similar in character or ability to one of their parents.
  • He's a talented musician just like his father—a real chip off the old block.

Variants and Related Words

• Chip (verb): The base form, meaning to break a small piece off something.
  • I chipped a tooth on a popcorn kernel.
• Chipped (adjective): Describing something from which a small piece has broken off.
  • A chipped plate.
• Chipping (noun/gerund): The process or result of breaking off small pieces.
  • The constant chipping of the ice.

Synonyms

• Break off: To separate a piece from something by breaking.
• Flake off: To come off in thin, small pieces (often used for paint or skin).
• Fragment: To break or cause to break into fragments.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Chip away at: To remove small pieces gradually from something, often through persistent effort.
  • We chipped away at the old mortar with a chisel.
  • She chipped away at the large project by working on it every day.

Related Idioms

• Chip off the old block: (As mentioned in Advanced Usage) A person who closely resembles a parent in character or habits.
  • With his love for engineering, he's a chip off the old block.

Verb

1. break off (a piece from a whole)
   • Her tooth chipped