# chew

Pronunciation: say "CHOO" US /t͡ʃ(j)u/, UK /tʃuː/

## Verb

1. To crush food with the teeth, opening and closing the jaws repeatedly so that saliva can soften and break it down before swallowing.
   - Simple: To break food into smaller pieces using your teeth and saliva before swallowing.
   - _She chewed each bite carefully because her jaw still ached._
   - _Cows chew their grass for hours before fully digesting it._
2. To grind, tear, or wear something down with the teeth, or as though with teeth.
   - Simple: To tear or grind something up with teeth, or in a way that acts like teeth.
   - _The blades chewed through the dense brush in seconds._
   - _Powerful waves chew away at the cliffs along the coast._
4. To turn a matter over in the mind; to ponder or reflect on something at length. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To think about something carefully for a while.
   - _He chewed on the decision all weekend before committing to it._
   - _Give the committee time to chew over the proposal._

## Noun

3. The process of working food between the teeth and in the mouth; mastication.
   - Simple: The action of breaking food up with your teeth inside the mouth.
   - _The toffee required a long, patient chew._
   - _Each chew released a little more flavor from the gum._
5. A small piece of candy, such as taffy, that is made to be chewed.
   - Simple: A soft, sticky candy that you eat by chewing it.
   - _The shop sold caramel chews wrapped in waxed paper._
   - _She unwrapped a strawberry chew and popped it in her mouth._
6. Tobacco meant to be held in the mouth and chewed rather than smoked. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Tobacco that people put in the mouth and chew instead of smoking.
   - _He filled the lower lip with chew before stepping up to bat._
   - _The store stocked chew in several different cuts and brands._
7. A plug or wad of chewing tobacco held in the mouth; a chaw.
   - Simple: A lump of chewing tobacco that you hold in your mouth.
   - _He worked the chew slowly while leaning against the fence._
   - _A fresh chew sat ready in the tin beside his chair._
8. The degree of chewiness in a food: how much resistance it offers to the teeth.
   - Simple: How chewy a food feels when you bite into it.
   - _Artisan loaves are prized for their dense, satisfying chew._
   - _Overcooking robbed the noodles of their pleasant chew._
9. The torn or ground-up condition of something that has been damaged mechanically. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Damage that looks like something has been torn or ground up.
   - _The rope showed heavy chew where it had run over the pulley._
   - _Mechanics noticed the chew along the worn gear teeth._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 4** — From Middle English chewen, from Old English ċēowan, going back through Proto-Germanic to Proto-Indo-European *ǵyewh₁-. It is related to Dutch kauwen and German kauen, and more distantly to Latin gingīva ("gums") and Polish żuć ("to chew").
**Meanings 3, 5–9** — From Middle English chew, from Old English *ċēaw ("chewing"), from Proto-Germanic *kewwaną ("to chew"). It is related to Dutch gekauw and West Frisian gekau, both meaning "chewing."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/chew (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).