# chew

/ˈtʃu/ (US) · /tʃjˈuː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/chew
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. to crush with teeth

verb · CEFR A2

to use your teeth to break food into small pieces so you can swallow it.

For teachers: to crush, grind, or gnaw something with the teeth; typically used as a transitive verb when referring to food.

- You should chew your food carefully before you swallow it.
- The dentist advised the patient to chew on the left side of his mouth until the temporary filling had fully hardened.

### 2. to damage or tear

verb · CEFR B1

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

For teachers: 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.

### 3. to think about

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to think about something carefully for a while.

For teachers: 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.

### 4. a soft sweet

noun · CEFR B1 · British English

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

For teachers: 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.

### 5. chewing tobacco

noun · CEFR C1 · American English · Informal

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

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- You should chew your food slowly.
- The puppy likes to chew on old shoes when its owners are not looking.
- While ruminants must chew their cud to extract nutrients from tough plant fibers, humans rely on mechanical breakdown in the mouth to begin the digestive process.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.