chipped

1. 1
   adjective

   Damaged by having one or more small pieces broken off the edge or surface.

   A chipped tooth can become sensitive to hot and cold drinks.

   The antique vase was slightly chipped near the base but still valuable.

   Similarnicked, damaged, cracked, notched

   Oppositeintact, undamaged

   Note

   The everyday adjective, and the only one of its kind that takes degrees: a plate can be slightly chipped, more chipped than the rest of the set, or the most chipped of the lot. The newer technical uses, an animal fitted with a microchip or a tuned car, are simply yes-or-no. Nothing is ever "very microchipped."

2. 2
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of chip.

   The mason chipped away at the block until it fit the gap.

   Years of heavy use had chipped the enamel off the old bathtub.

   Note

   One spelling serves as both past tense and participle, and it covers every use of the verb: transitive (she chipped the mug), intransitive (the paint chipped), and the sporting use, a ball played as a chip shot. In some dialects it also means chiseled. After have it forms the perfect, and after be the passive. That passive participle leads directly to the adjective for damaged crockery.

3. 3
   adjective

   Having had a microchip implanted under the skin, typically so a pet can be identified.

   The vet confirmed the stray was chipped and tracked down its owner within hours.

   Most shelters will only rehome a chipped animal.

   Similartagged

4. 4
   adjective

   Modified by reprogramming or replacing the engine management system, usually to increase power.

   The chipped sedan produced noticeably more torque on the dyno.

   Insurance companies sometimes charge more for a chipped vehicle.

   Similartuned, modified

   Oppositestock, unmodified

   Note

   Car enthusiasts use it for an engine-control upgrade, and the name points at the chip in the engine control unit. It covers two routes: replacing that chip, or remapping its software to change fueling and ignition beyond factory settings. Unlike the pet-microchip sense, what changes here is performance, not identification.

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