(~s, ~ping, ~ped)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Chips are long, thin pieces of potato fried in oil or fat and eaten hot, usually with a meal. (BRIT; in AM, use French fries )
I had fish and ~s in a cafe...
N-COUNT: usu pl
2.
Chips or potato ~s are very thin slices of fried potato that are eaten cold as a snack. (AM; in BRIT, use crisps )
...a package of onion-flavored potato ~s.
N-COUNT: usu pl
3.
A silicon ~ is a very small piece of silicon with electronic circuits on it which is part of a computer or other piece of machinery.
N-COUNT
4.
A ~ is a small piece of something or a small piece which has been broken off something.
It contains real chocolate ~s...
Teichler’s eyes gleamed like ~s of blue glass.
N-COUNT: oft supp N
5.
A ~ in something such as a piece of china or furniture is where a small piece has been broken off it.
The washbasin had a small ~.
N-COUNT
6.
If you ~ something or if it ~s, a small piece is broken off it.
The blow ~ped the woman’s tooth...
Steel baths are lighter but ~ easily.
VERB: V n, V
~ped
They drank out of ~ped mugs.
ADJ
7.
Chips are plastic counters used in gambling to represent money.
He put the pile of ~s in the center of the table and drew a card.
N-COUNT: usu pl
8.
In discussions between people or governments, a ~ or a bargaining ~ is something of value which one side holds, which can be exchanged for something they want from the other side.
The information could be used as a bargaining ~ to extract some parallel information from Britain...
N-COUNT
9.
see also blue ~
10.
If you describe someone as a ~ off the old block, you mean that they are just like one of their parents in character or behaviour.
Her fifth child was born, a son who Sally at first thought was another ~ off the old block.
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR
11.
If you say that something happens when the ~s are down, you mean it happens when a situation gets very difficult. (INFORMAL)
When the ~s are down, she’s very tough.
PHRASE
12.
If you say that someone has a ~ on their shoulder, you think that they feel inferior or that they believe they have been treated unfairly. (INFORMAL)
He had this ~ on his shoulder about my mum and dad thinking that they’re better than him.
PHRASE: Ns inflect, usu have/with PHR