Library / English Dictionary

CHEW

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Biting and grinding food in your mouth so it becomes soft enough to swallow

Synonyms:

chew; chewing; manduction; mastication

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("chew" is a kind of...):

change of state (the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chew"):

chomping (the act of chewing noisily)

gumming; mumbling (ineffectual chewing (as if without teeth))

rumination ((of ruminants) chewing (the cud))

Holonyms ("chew" is a part of...):

eating; feeding (the act of consuming food)

Derivation:

chew (chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth)

chewy ((of a consistency) requiring chewing)

chewy (requiring much chewing)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A wad of something chewable as tobacco

Synonyms:

chaw; chew; cud; plug; quid; wad

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("chew" is a kind of...):

bit; bite; morsel (a small amount of solid food; a mouthful)

Derivation:

chew (chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth

Example:

The cows were masticating the grass

Synonyms:

chew; jaw; manducate; masticate

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Hypernyms (to "chew" is one way to...):

grate; grind (make a grating or grinding sound by rubbing together)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "chew"):

champ; chomp (chew noisily)

champ (chafe at the bit, like horses)

gum; mumble (grind with the gums; chew without teeth and with great difficulty)

chaw (chew without swallowing)

crunch; munch (chew noisily)

gnaw (bite or chew on with the teeth)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

chew (biting and grinding food in your mouth so it becomes soft enough to swallow)

chew (a wad of something chewable as tobacco)

chewer (someone who chews (especially someone who chews tobacco))

chewing (biting and grinding food in your mouth so it becomes soft enough to swallow)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Tobacco (smoking and chewing) and alcohol may increase the risk of erythroleukoplakia.

(Erythroleukoplakia, NCI Dictionary)

Tobacco (smoking and chewing) and alcohol may increase the risk of erythroplakia.

(Erythroplakia, NCI Dictionary)

The majority of patients present with signs and symptoms of locally advanced disease including mucosal ulceration, pain, difficulty with speaking, chewing, and swallowing, bleeding, weight loss, and neck swelling.

(Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

Nicotine chewing gum reduces the withdrawal symptoms associated with smoking cessation.

(Nicotine gum, NCI Thesaurus)

They may also have problems such as depression, sleep problems, or trouble chewing, swallowing, or speaking.

(Parkinson's Disease, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

The approach site might be mouth, but from a route code perspective, this could include: swallow, oral rinse, oral topical application, chew, oral dissolve, oral inhalation (via intermittent flow or rebreather mask).

(Performed Substance Administration Route Of Administration Code, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

He chewed Downing’s thumb nearly off before they could master him.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A chewing gum that contains a small dose of nicotine, which enters the blood by being absorbed through the lining of the mouth.

(Nicotine gum, NCI Dictionary)

It is used mainly in Alaska and is chewed.

(Iq’mik, NCI Dictionary)

The main sensory nerve of the head and face, and the motor nerve of the muscles used in chewing.

(Fifth cranial nerve, NCI Dictionary)