chew
To use your teeth to break food into small pieces before swallowing it.
To bite and grind food in the mouth using the teeth, usually to prepare it for swallowing.
To bite something many times, not for eating, like gum or a pen.
To bite or gnaw at something repeatedly, often without the intention of eating it, such as gum, a pencil, or fingernails.
To think about something for some time before deciding.
To consider or think about something carefully and for some time before making a decision.
The action of using your teeth to break food into small pieces.
The act of biting and grinding food or other substances in the mouth with the teeth.
Something you chew but do not swallow right away, like gum or chewing tobacco.
A substance, such as gum or tobacco, that is intended to be chewed without being swallowed immediately.
- Base: chew
- Plural: chews
- Base: chew
- 3rd Person Singular: chews
- Present Participle: chewing
- Past: chewed
chew on
1Think about something carefully
To think about something before making a decision.
- Chew on this idea and let me know what you think.
- He chewed on the question for days before answering.
chew out
1Scold someone strongly
To speak angrily to someone because they did something wrong.
- The coach chewed out the players after their poor performance.
- She got chewed out by her boss for missing the deadline.
chew over
1Think about or discuss carefully
To talk about or think about something for some time before deciding.
- They chewed over the proposal all evening.
- We need to chew this over before making a decision.
chew up and spit out
1Use someone badly then discard them
To treat someone very badly and then get rid of them.
- The industry will chew you up and spit you out if you're not strong enough.
- He felt chewed up and spat out by his former company.
bite off more than you can chew
1Take on too much work/responsibility
To try to do more work than you can manage.
- He bit off more than he could chew when he agreed to run two projects at once.
- He bit off more than he could chew when he agreed to manage three projects at once.
- Starting that business alone was biting off more than she could chew.
- Don't bite off more than you can chew by volunteering for too many tasks.