Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To chew.
- n. A chew, especially of tobacco.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Same as chew, 1.
- 2. Same as chew, 2.
- To be sulky.
- n. As much as is put in the mouth at once; a chew, especially of tobacco; a quid.
- n. The jaw.
- n. [This form occurred twice in the original edition (1611) of the authorized version of the Scriptures (Ezek. xxix. 4, xxxviii. 4), but in modern editions has been changed.]
Wiktionary
- n. informal, uncountable Chewing tobacco.
- n. countable A plug or wad of chewing tobacco.
- n. obsolete The jaw.
- v. nonstandard Nonstandard spelling of chew; to grind with the teeth; to masticate, as food in eating; to chew, as the cud; to champ, as the bit.
- v. UK, slang To steal.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To grind with the teeth; to masticate, as food in eating; to chew, as the cud; to champ, as the bit.
- v. To ruminate in thought; to consider; to keep the mind working upon; to brood over.
- n. Law As much as is put in the mouth at once; a chew; a quid.
- n. obsolete The jaw.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a wad of something chewable as tobacco
- v. chew without swallowing
Etymologies
- See chew. (Wiktionary)
- Variant of chew. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“And then, before them all, this curious parson took a piece of tobacco out of his ragged pocket, and cut off a "chaw" with Mr. Troke's knife.”
“The unit of currency was a "chaw" of tobacco, cut about one inch square and a quarter of an inch thick.”
With Sabre and Scalpel. The Autobiography of a Soldier and Surgeon
“Upon this occasion the "chaw" created such a disturbance that (on audacious demand) leave was granted to the Duffer and John to capture the offender.”
“The young rascals pursued the "chaw" as far as the”
“Then to both men and women come the indispensable pipe and tobacco, or to the men the quid or "chaw" of this wonderful weed, all home grown in full abundance.”
The old plantation : how we lived in great house and cabin before the war,
“A goodly sized "chaw" bulged in his withered cheek.”
“Bunt was back at his old occupation of miner, and I-- the one loafer of all that little world of workers -- had brought him a bottle of beer to go with the "chaw"; for”
“He looked at me steadily for a few seconds, as he thrust a fresh 'chaw' of betel-nut and lime into his hideous mouth, and said that I was missing a great chance -- there were plenty of white men along the coast who would be glad to get anyone of 'Parka's' wives, especially she who could make tea and cook meat.”
“The youngsters grouped about her, Lem cut off a fresh "chaw," rubbed his hands and began.”
“He always had a huge "chaw" of tobacco stowed away in the side of his left cheek, and, as he drove along, would deposit its juice with unerring aim on any object that attracted his attention.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘chaw’.
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There's a sucker born every minute
Confections to sweeten the breath.
dragée, cachou, betel, chew, chaw, gum, bubblegum, gumball, mint, peppermint, mint imperial, after dinner mint and 21 more...
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Quaintnesses
For those who wish no words were ever forgotten
opprobrium, tedium, encomium, odium, ire, enmity, beguile, wile, brazen, popinjay, squit, hoity-toity and 1161 more...
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That's right, another list
muck-a-muck, ipse dixit, solipsism, anticlinal, analogical, amoral, alogical, synclinal, disinclined, iconological, studly, flitch and 179 more...
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Reading Reading
Words from the works of Peter Reading - at least one from each (except the Schwitters-esque erosions, cut-ups etc).
overbright, pimpled, muskiness, effuse, stoup, maul, unlevel, viscid, perfidious, glibly, aloes, drouth and 449 more...
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lanklenmot's Words
ineluctable, prelapsarian, bien pensant, prospero, preternatural, gratifying, iconoclast, cineast, persnickety, tumescent, galvanize, pap and 887 more...
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portablec's Words
jawbreaker, narnad, pax, chaw, vealpie, saltherring, decisive, rummaged, raggedy, trifle, scribblement, numskull and 50 more...
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ruminate
words to chew on: to try to gain a clue on
pore, chaw, bethink, mull, brood, gnaw, chomp, manducable, tantalus
Tweets
Looking for tweets for chaw.
yarb And I for one am glad he doesn't chaw. Down the hatch I go! Sep 29, 2010
madmouth "All other griefs allow a part
To other griefs, and ask themselves but some;
They come to us, but us Love draws,
He swallows us, and never chaws"
-From Donne's "The Broken Heart" Sep 28, 2010
yarb Citation on unclockwise. Jun 19, 2009
yarb The old crone's left cheek was puffed out as though she had a chaw in it.
- William Gass, The Tunnel May 11, 2009