chew

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To crush with the teeth by repeated closing and opening of the jaws; done to food to soften it and break it down by the action of saliva before it is swallowed.

   Make sure to chew thoroughly, and don't talk with your mouth full!

2. 2
   verb

   To grind, tear, or otherwise degrade or demolish something with teeth or as with teeth.

   He keeps his feed in steel drums to prevent the mice from chewing holes in the feed-sacks.

3. 3
   verb

   To think about something; to ponder; to chew over.

   The professor stood at the blackboard, chalk in hand, and chewed the question the student had asked.

4. 4
   noun

   The act of chewing; mastication with the mouth.

   I popped the gum into my mouth and gave it a chew.

5. 5
   noun

   Level of chewiness.

   Once it's cooked, it's not enough of a hard chew to count.

6. 6
   noun

   A small sweet, such as a taffy, that is eaten by chewing.

   Phillip purchased a bag of licorice chews at the drugstore.

7. 7
   noun

   Chewing tobacco.

   The school had banned chew and smokes from the school grounds, even for adults.

8. 8
   noun

   A plug or wad of chewing tobacco; chaw or a chaw.

   The ballplayers sat on the bench watching the rain, glumly working their chews.

Etymology

* As an English surname, Chew has a number of separate origins: ** A toponymic surname referring to a place in Billington, Lancashire. It was originally spelled Cho, from Middle English cho, which is possibly a descendant of Old English *cēo (“gill”), denoting a ravine. ** A toponymic surname referring to Chew Magna or Chew Stoke in Somerset, England. ** A nickname from Old English ċīo, ċēo, which refers to smaller chattering species of crow, in particular the red-billed chough. * As a Chinese surname, borrowed from Hokkien 周 (Chiu), Teochew 周 (ziu1), Cantonese 趙／赵 (ziu6), etc.