# chow down

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/chow-down
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

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

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

## Examples

- The kids are ready to chow down on some pizza.
- After hiking for six hours, we were ready to chow down as soon as we reached the camp.
- The marathon runners gathered at the local diner to chow down on massive plates of pasta before the big race.

## Pitfalls

- Not "We chowed down the burgers." but "We chowed down on the burgers." — when mentioning the specific food, you usually need the preposition 'on' after the phrase.

## Usage notes

- 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).

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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.