Chew

/tʃuː/

Meaning & Definition

noun

an act of chewing.

After a long chew, he finally swallowed the food.

a piece of something that is chewed.

I think I lost my chew of gum under the couch.

verb

to bite and grind with the teeth.

She took a big bite of the apple and began to chew.

to think about something carefully and at length.

He needed some time to chew over the proposal before making a decision.

to work through or process something mentally.

I'm still chewing on the implications of that news.

to cause to undergo mastication.

The dog was chewing its favorite toy.

to crush, compress, or grind into smaller pieces.

The machine is designed to chew up large quantities of waste.

Middle English chewen, from Old English ceowan.

chew the fat

To engage in casual or friendly conversation.

chew on something

To contemplate or consider something.

chew the scenery

To act in an exaggerated manner.

masticate

To chew food thoroughly.

gnaw

To chew or bite persistently.

To talk excessively or fuss about something.

Stop chewing my ear off about your problems.

To linger or take time over something.

I can't just chew on this issue forever.