chew

chewverb

1. foodbreak food into small pieces with your teeth before you swallow it

   transitive or intransitive [T/I] verb + object [V + obj]

   • Chew your food slowly. V + obj
   • He chewed the meat for a long time before he swallowed it. V + obj
   • It hurts when I chew.

   Collocations

   verb + noun chew food, chew meat

   verb + adverb chew slowly, chew carefully, chew well

   For translators (sense 1)

   Meaning across languages Some languages use one word for biting and chewing; in English you bite a piece off with your front teeth and then chew it.

2. bite again and againbite something again and again without swallowing it

   transitive or intransitive [T/I] verb + object [V + obj] verb + preposition + object [V + prep + obj]

   • She chews her pencil when she's nervous. V + obj
   • The puppy chewed the leg of the table. V + obj
   • He was chewing gum all through the meeting. V + obj
   • The dog lay in the yard chewing on a bone. V + prep + obj

   Collocations

   verb + noun chew gum, chew a pencil, chew your nails

   verb + preposition chew on something, chew through something

   Compare bite (bite is one quick closing of the teeth; chew is moving the teeth again and again)

See also chew over (think carefully about something for some time)