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Chew vs Chop - What's the difference?

chew | chop |

As verbs the difference between chew and chop

is that chew is to crush with the teeth by repeated closing and opening of the jaws; done to food to soften it and break it down by the action of saliva before it is swallowed while chop is to cut into pieces with short, vigorous cutting motions.

As nouns the difference between chew and chop

is that chew is a small sweet, such as a taffy, that is eaten by chewing while chop is a cut of meat, often containing a section of a rib.

chew

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To crush with the teeth by repeated closing and opening of the jaws; done to food to soften it and break it down by the action of saliva before it is swallowed.
    • Make sure to chew thoroughly, and don't talk with your mouth full!
    The steak was tough to chew as it had been cooked too long.
  • To grind, tear, or otherwise degrade or demolish something with teeth or as with teeth.
    • He keep his feed in steel drums to prevent the mice from chewing holes in the feed-sacks.
    The harsh desert wind and sand had chewed the stump into ragged strips of wood.
  • (informal) To think about something; to ponder; to chew over.
    • The professor stood at the blackboard, chalk in hand, and chewed the question the student had asked.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • Old politicians chew wisdom past.
  • * Prior
    • He chews revenge, abjuring his offense.

    Synonyms

    * (crush food with teeth prior to swallowing) bite, chavel, chomp, crunch, masticate * (degrade or demolish as if with teeth) grind, pulverize, rip, shred, tear * (think about) contemplate, ruminate, mull, muse, ponder * See also

    Derived terms

    * chewing gum * chew out * chew over * chew the cud * chew the fat * chew the scenery * chew up * chewy

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A small sweet, such as a taffy, that is eaten by chewing.
    • Phillip purchased a bag of licorice chews at the drugstore.
  • (informal, uncountable) Chewing tobacco.
    • The school had banned chew and smokes from the school grounds, even for adults.
  • (countable, or, uncountable) A plug or wad of chewing tobacco; chaw or a chaw.
    • ''The ballplayers sat on the bench watching the rain, glumly working their chews .
    The first time he chewed tobacco, he swallowed his chew and got extremely sick.

    Derived terms

    * chew toy * penny chew

    chop

    English

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) choppen, variant of (only attested in compounds). More at (l).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A cut of meat, often containing a section of a rib.
  • *1957 , :
  • *:I was standing at the meat counter, waiting for some rib lamb chops to be cut.
  • A blow with an axe, cleaver, or similar utensil.
  • (martial arts) A blow delivered with the hand rigid and outstretched.
  • Ocean waves, generally caused by wind, distinguished from swell by being smaller and not lasting as long.
  • (poker) A hand where two or more players have an equal-valued hand, resulting in the chips being shared equally between them.
  • Termination, especially from employment.
  • (dated) A crack or cleft; a chap.
    • Quotations
    * (English Citations of "chop")
    Synonyms
    * axe, pink slip, sack

    Verb

  • To cut into pieces with short, vigorous cutting motions.
    • chop wood
    chop an onion
  • To sever with an axe or similar implement.
    • Chop off his head.
  • (baseball) To hit the ball downward so that it takes a high bounce.
  • (poker) To divide the pot (or tournament prize) between two or more players.
  • To do something suddenly with an unexpected motion; to catch or attempt to seize.
  • * L'Estrange
    • Out of greediness to get both, he chops at the shadow, and loses the substance.
  • To interrupt; with in'' or ''out .
  • * Latimer
    • This fellow interrupted the sermon, even suddenly chopping in.

    Derived terms

    * chop chop * chopper * chopping board * chop logic * chops * chopstick * choppy * karate chop * try out one's own chops

    Etymology 2

    Of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant of (chap).

    Verb

  • (obsolete) To exchange, to barter; to swap.
  • * 1644 , (John Milton), Aeropagitica :
    • this is not to put down Prelaty, this is but to chop an Episcopacy; this is but to translate the Palace Metropolitan'' from one kind of dominion into another, this is but an old canonicall sleight of ''commuting our penance.
  • * L'Estrange
    • We go on chopping and changing our friends.
  • To chap or crack.
  • (nautical) To vary or shift suddenly.
    • The wind chops about.
  • To wrangle; to altercate; to bandy words.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • Let not the counsel at the bar chop with the judge.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (mostly, in the plural) A jaw of an animal.
  • A movable jaw or cheek, as of a vice.
  • The land at each side of the mouth of a river, harbour, or channel.
    • East Chop'''; West '''Chop
  • A change; a vicissitude.
    • (Marryat)

    Etymology 3

    (etyl)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An official stamp or seal.
  • Mark indicating nature, quality, or brand.
    • silk of the first chop
    Derived terms
    * chop dollar * chop of tea * grand chop

    Etymology 4

    Shortening.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (internet) An IRC channel operator.
  • * 1996 , Peter Ludlow, High Noon on the Electronic Frontier (page 404)
    • IRC supports mechanisms for the enforcement of acceptable behaviour on IRC. Channel operators — "chanops" or "chops " — have access to the /kick command, which throws a specified user out of the given channel.
    Synonyms
    * chanop * op ----