English Reference

Word

chevy

Phoneticschevy

US/ˈʃɛˌvi/

UK/ʃˈɛvi/

Definitions

01to nag or pester

B2

v. to keep telling someone to do something, especially in an annoying way.

v. to harass or nag someone with petty attacks or constant requests, often to make them move faster or complete a task.

“I had to chevy him all morning to get his homework finished.”

“The manager spent the afternoon trying to chevy the contractors into finishing the lobby renovations before the grand opening.”

Informal · British English

Usage

Often spelled 'chivvy'; usually takes a direct object.

Synonyms

nagpesterbadgerchivvy

02a Chevrolet car

B1

n. a short name for a car made by the company Chevrolet.

n. a colloquial clipping referring to a vehicle manufactured by the Chevrolet division of General Motors.

“He spent the whole weekend washing his old Chevy truck.”

“The vintage Chevy sat gleaming in the driveway, a testament to the owner's dedication to automotive restoration.”

Informal · American English

Teaching tip

While the verb sense is more common in British English, this noun sense is ubiquitous in American English culture and music.

Synonyms

Etymology

Diminutive of Chevrolet: Clipping of Chevrolet + -y.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference