chew

B1 · Intermediate

v. to damage something by biting it or pulling it apart with teeth or a machine.

v. to degrade, demolish, or tear something through repeated biting or mechanical grinding.

“The puppy started to chew the legs of the wooden kitchen chairs.”

“The old paper shredder began to chew the documents rather than cutting them cleanly, suggesting the internal blades were dull.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

v. to think about something carefully for a while.

v. to ponder or meditate on a topic; frequently used in the phrasal form 'chew over'.

“I need some time to chew on your proposal before I give you an answer.”

“The board members spent the afternoon chewing over the implications of the merger before reaching a final consensus.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Cooking British English

n. a small, soft sweet that you have to bite many times to eat.

n. a type of chewy confectionery, such as taffy or fruit-flavoured soft candy.

“The child bought a bag of fruit chews at the corner shop.”

“The variety pack contained an assortment of chocolates and strawberry chews, though the latter were often too sticky for the younger children.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun American English · Informal

n. a piece of tobacco that people keep in their mouth instead of smoking it.

n. tobacco prepared for chewing rather than smoking; can refer to the substance or a specific wad of it.

“The old ballplayer always had a chew in his cheek during the game.”

“He offered his companion a plug of chew, a habit he had picked up while working on the cattle ranches in Montana.”