From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishchewchew1 /tʃuː/ ●●● S2 verb 1 [intransitive, transitive]BITE to bite food several times before swallowing it This meat’s so tough I can hardly chew it!chew at/on a dog chewing on a bone► see thesaurus at bite2 [intransitive, transitive]BITE to bite something continuously in order to taste it or because you are nervouschew on We gave the dog an old shoe to chew on.chew your lip/nailschew gum/tobacco3 → chew the cud4 → chew the fat → bite off more than you can chew at bite1(10) → chew on something → chew somebody ↔ out → chew something ↔ over → chew something ↔ up→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
chew• There was a cow in the field, slowly chewing a mouthful of grass.• Helen sat there, chewing a piece of gum.• The squirrel did not chew bark to get at sap or something else.• Riven chewed bread which had turned to sand in his mouth.• The normally grass-rich ranges are barren, chewed down to dust by ravenous cattle.• My worst habit is chewing gum.• She finds an apple and chews it loudly, then she lifts her head and scans all around.• Do you want to chew on that?• I gave the baby my key ring to chew on.• To relieve catarrh, chew raw garlic.• Come here, Sausage, don't chew that rug!• All around me camels sat peacefully chewing the cud.• I chewed the toffee slowly.• You can just swallow oysters or you can chew them a little bit first.• Chew your food. Don't eat so quickly.chew at/on• I remember growing up in Baltimore and enjoying a flat style cinnamon toothpick to chew on.• Claude was chewing on an ice cube.• Hugh Farnham was discovered in a retirement home in Florida, living under an assumed identity, obsessively chewing on his rusks.• They chewed at it until, softened, it yielded, like blubber or leather, to their understanding.• She polished it off and began to chew on the ice.• After a while she noticed his reflected look and looked back, chewing on the leather chinstrap.• She chewed at the spiky end of a plait and kicked at a kitchen chair-leg.• Is there a gremlin outside, chewing on the wing of the plane?chew your lip/nails• And there one writing, probably a letter, holding the paper sideways and chewing her nails.• Walter flew out the door; leaving Gordy and Ivan chewing their lips and wringing their hands.• Prince William, 10, chewed his lip anxiously while eight-year-old Harry stared wistfully ahead, dreaming of Christmases past.• She chewed her nails in Muir of Ord.• Janine chewed her lip, staring spitefully at her child.• Emily chewed her lip, thinking about Hari and Craig.chewchew2 noun [countable] 1 BITEthe act of biting something many times with your teeth2 DFFa sweet that you chew3 a piece of tobacco that you chew but do not swallowExamples from the Corpus
chew• Rod Carew would insert a big chew to tighten his face and help him focus on an incoming pitch.• Babe Ruth accepts a plug of chew from his girlfriend before getting the game-winning hit.• a recipe for chocolate walnut chewsOrigin chew1 Old English ceowan 