chew

15 synonyms for chew, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Verb — To repeatedly bite and grind food with the teeth before swallowing.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

crunch jaw quid plug chewing

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

masticate gnaw munch nibble manducate cud manduction wad mastication chaw

Synonyms by Meaning

1. verb

To repeatedly bite and grind food with the teeth before swallowing.

“Chew your food properly before you swallow it.”

masticate gnaw munch crunch nibble jaw manducate

2. noun

A soft sweet, or a small toy or treat meant to be chewed.

“She gave the puppy a rubber chew to keep it busy.”

quid cud plug manduction wad mastication chaw chewing

How to use chew

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

chew food chew over chew gum chew toy

Etymology

From Old English ceowan, part of an old Germanic word family shared with Dutch kauwen and German kauen, going back to a very old root meaning "to grind" or "gnaw."

Full origin of chew →

Frequently asked questions

What does “chew” mean?

The word “chew” means to repeatedly bite and grind food with the teeth before swallowing. In plain terms, to grind food with your teeth, or informally, to mull something over in your mind.

How do you pronounce “chew”?

“Chew” is pronounced choo (/t͡ʃ(j)u/ in IPA).

How do you use “chew” in a sentence?

Here is “chew” used in a sentence: “Chew your food properly before you swallow it.”

What part of speech is “chew”?

Depending on how it is used, “chew” can be a verb and a noun.

Where does the word “chew” come from?

The word “chew” comes from Old English. From Old English ceowan, part of an old Germanic word family shared with Dutch kauwen and German kauen, going back to a very old root meaning "to grind" or "gnaw.".

Is “chew” a common word?

“Chew” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

How many meanings does “chew” have?

“Chew” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to repeatedly bite and grind food with the teeth before swallowing.

What is the difference between "chew" and "bite"?

To bite means to use the teeth to cut into or grip something in a single action, while to chew involves repeatedly grinding food with the teeth before swallowing. Chewing is the ongoing process that usually follows an initial bite.

What does it mean to "chew something over"?

"Chew something over" is an informal way of saying to think something over carefully, the way food is worked over slowly by the teeth. It's typically used for decisions or problems that need consideration before acting.

How does the noun "chew" differ from the verb "chew"?

As a noun, a "chew" refers to a soft sweet or a small toy or treat meant to be chewed, such as a dog chew. As a verb, "chew" describes the action of biting and grinding food with the teeth, so the noun and verb forms refer to related but distinct things.

People also searched

plug jaw chewing crunch quid munch mastication masticate gnaw nibble wad

Nearby words

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