chow

C2+ Topic:Food & Drink

US /tʃaʊ/ UK /tʃaʊ/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like sow /tʃ/ vs /s/ Sounds like sough /tʃ/ vs /s/

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
food; a meal (informal)

The crew lined up for chow as soon as the bell rang.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · food; a meal (informal) food grub fare eats victuals nosh

Word family

Related forms chow-chow

Etymology

Mid-19th-century American slang, probably from Chinese Pidgin English, ultimately from Cantonese chaau ('to fry, cook') or related to chow-chow ('mixed food, relish').

Topics

Food & Drink Register & Style

# chow

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** tʃaʊ
**IPA (UK):** tʃaʊ

## Meanings
1. food; a meal (informal)

## Examples
- The crew lined up for chow as soon as the bell rang.

## Synonyms
- food
- grub
- fare
- eats
- victuals
- nosh

## Related Forms
- chow-chow

## Etymology
Mid-19th-century American slang, probably from Chinese Pidgin English, ultimately from Cantonese chaau ('to fry, cook') or related to chow-chow ('mixed food, relish').

## AI Etymology
Chow is a noun and verb meaning "food; a meal (informal)". Historically, it is mid-19th-century American slang, probably from Chinese Pidgin English, ultimately from Cantonese chaau ('to fry, cook') or related to chow-chow ('mixed food, relish'). The older history should therefore be treated cautiously rather than as settled. A close English family member is chow-chow. This keeps the modern noun and verb sense tied to the formation history behind it.

## Topics
- Food & Drink
- Register & Style

markdown

chow

Meanings

Thesaurus

Etymology

Topics

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback