Phrasal verb
chow down on
Definition
phrasal verb. to eat a lot of food quickly and with great enthusiasm.
phrasal verb. to consume food vigorously or in large quantities; carries a highly informal, colloquial register often used in social or casual settings.
Examples
“The kids chow down on pizza after their soccer game.”
“We found a great burger joint and spent the afternoon chowing down on fries and shakes.”
“While the guests were chowing down on the buffet, the host took the opportunity to make a surprise announcement.”
Examples
simple
“The kids chow down on pizza after their soccer game.”
contextual
“We found a great burger joint and spent the afternoon chowing down on fries and shakes.”
complex
“While the guests were chowing down on the buffet, the host took the opportunity to make a surprise announcement.”
Usage
highly informal; usually followed by a specific type of food as the object.
Teaching tip
this is a great example of 'vivid' phrasal verbs; contrast it with 'eat' (neutral) and 'devour' (more intense/literary) to show how register changes based on the setting.
Pitfall
They chowed down the tacos.
They chowed down on the tacos.
the preposition 'on' is required when you mention the specific food being eaten.
Phrasal verb
Particles
down on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
chow + down + on + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/chow-down-on