chow

¹

[ chou ]

noun

1. food, especially hearty dishes or a meal.

verb phrase

1. to eat; eat a meal, especially the main meal of the day:

   In the army we usually chow down at 6 p.m.

chow

²

[ chou ]

noun

, (often initial capital letter)

1. chow chow.

Chow

³

[ chou ]

noun

, Australian Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Chinese person.

chow

/ tʃaʊ /

noun

1. informal.
   food
2. short for chow-chow

Word History and Origins

Origin of chow¹

1855–60, Americanism; short for chow-chow

Origin of chow²

Short form

Origin of chow³

First recorded in 1870–75; special use of spelling variant ( Chow ) of Chou ( def )

Example Sentences

He pointed to a row of chairs near the cash register as we began to chow down.

From Los Angeles Times

Let’s take chow mein – there are endless varieties of this.

From Salon

“If you want to reduce obesity, serve different types of food at the chow hall,” said Marine Corps Sgt.

From Salon

Thick-coated breeds and those with double coats like chow chows, Alaskan huskies, and golden retrievers are better at conserving heat in cool temperatures.

From Los Angeles Times

The team put mice on a high-fat food for 4 days, allowed them to eat normal chow for 7 days, and then repeated the cycle twice more.

From Science Magazine