What does "chow" mean?
Food, especially snacks.
Chow
/t͡ʃaʊ/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Food, especially snacks.
- Grammar: chow is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: chow chow, grub, bread, chou.
- Useful contrasts: abstain, fast, graze.
- Usage evidence: As for me, I don't eat meat, so I ordered veg chow mein.
How to use "chow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "chow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "chow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "chow" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "chow chow" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "chow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Food, especially snacks. slang, uncountable, usually
"I'm going to pick up some chow for dinner."
- 2 A prefecture or district of the second rank in China, or the chief city of such a district.
- 3 A run of three consecutive tiles of the same suit.
- 4 A Chow Chow (Chinese breed of dog).
"Colin was a Chow; an interesting Chinese breed that looks a bit like a Pomeranian on steroids[.]"
- 5 breed of medium-sized dogs with a thick coat and fluffy curled tails and distinctive blue-black tongues; believed to have originated in northern China wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Unripe, or partially ripened, fruit seasoned and served as a dish, e.g. pineapple chow or mango chow. Trinidad-and-Tobago, uncountable, usually
- 7 A call for forming such a run using a discarded tile.
- 8 informal terms for a meal wordnet
- 9 A Chow Chow. uncountable, usually
"‘I'd try and grapple with him myself, only I've got my chow in my room, you know, and he goes for pigs wherever he finds them.’"
- 10 the imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BC; notable for the rise of Confucianism and Taoism wordnet
- 11 A Chinese person. Australia, archaic, slang, uncountable, usually
"These were the creatures Nawnim had been amazed to see about him on the day of his arrival. When he inquired about them, Anna told him they were Japs an' Chows."
Verb
- 1 To eat. South-Africa, slang
- 2 To call a discarded tile to produce a chow.
"[…] while the adversary on his right will repeatedly bury in the discard the very tiles he wishes to chow but can't."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from Cantonese.
- 2 Alternative form of Zhou (“dynasty, realm, and era”). alt-of, alternative, obsolete
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"As for me, I don't eat meat, so I ordered veg chow mein."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chow"?
Common synonyms include: chow chow, grub, bread, chou, chou dynasty, chow dynasty.
How do you use "chow" in a sentence?
As for me, I don't eat meat, so I ordered veg chow mein.
How do you pronounce "chow"?
Pronounced /t͡ʃaʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Shortened from chow-chow, from Chinese Pidgin English chow-chow. Compare Macanese chau-cháu. See also English chow fun, chow mein, etc.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Chinese 州 (zhōu).
Etymology 3
Phono-semantic matching of Chinese 吃 (chī, literally “to eat”), influenced by the “food” sense of Etymology 1 above.
Etymology 4
From Cantonese 周 (zau¹).