| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| chew |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  ch |
| VERB: | Inflected forms: chewed, chew·ing, chews
| | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To bite and grind with the teeth; masticate. 2. To meditate on; ponder: chew a problem over. | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To make a crushing and grinding motion with the teeth. 2. To cogitate; meditate: chewed on the difficulties ahead. 3. Informal To use chewing tobacco. | | NOUN: | 1. The act of chewing. 2. Something held in the mouth and chewed, especially a plug of tobacco. See Regional Note at chaw. | | PHRASAL VERB: | chew out Slang To reprimand; scold. | | IDIOMS: | chew the cud Slang To ponder over; meditate. chew the fat (or rag) Slang To talk together in a friendly, leisurely way; chat at length. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English cheuen, from Old English c owan. | | OTHER FORMS: | chew a·ble —ADJECTIVE
chewer —NOUN
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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