ENGLISH
REFERENCE

chow down

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to eat a lot of food quickly and with great energy. You use this when you are very hungry or really enjoying a meal.

phr. v.. to consume food vigorously or in large quantities; informal register, often used intransitively or with the preposition 'on'.


SIMPLE

The kids are ready to chow down on some pizza.

CONTEXTUAL

After hiking for six hours, we were ready to chow down as soon as we reached the camp.

COMPLEX

The marathon runners gathered at the local diner to chow down on massive plates of pasta before the big race.

Particles
down
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
chow + down (+ on + object)
Usage

informal and colloquial; often followed by the preposition 'on' plus the food item.

Teaching tip

this is a great example of American slang that has become widely understood; use it to discuss the difference between 'eat' (neutral) and 'feast' (formal/literary).

Pitfall

We chowed down the burgers.We chowed down on the burgers.when mentioning the specific food, you usually need the preposition 'on' after the phrase.

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