/ tʃɪp; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
the place from which a small piece of wood, glass, etc. has broken from an object :
This mug has a chip in it.
2.
a small piece of wood, glass, etc. that has broken off an object :
chips of wood
chocolate chip cookies (= biscuits containing small pieces of chocolate)
3.
( BrE ) (also ˌFrench ˈfry , fry NAmE , BrE ) [ usually pl. ] a long thin piece of potato fried in oil or fat :
All main courses are served with chips or baked potato.
—see also fish and chips
4.
( NAmE ) = crisp :
potato chips
5.
= microchip :
chip technology
—see also V-chip
6.
a small flat piece of plastic used to represent a particular amount of money in some types of gambling :
( figurative )
The release of prisoners was used as a bargaining chip .
7.
(also ˈchip shot ) ( in golf , football ( soccer ), etc. ) an act of hitting or kicking a ball high in the air so that it lands within a short distance
—see also blue-chip
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IDIOMS
- a chip off the old block
- have a chip on your shoulder (about sth)
- have had your chips
- when the chips are down
—more at cash verb
■ verb ( -pp- )
1.
to damage sth by breaking a small piece off it; to become damaged in this way :
[ vn ]
a badly chipped saucer
She chipped one of her front teeth.
[ v ]
These plates chip easily.
2.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to cut or break small pieces off sth with a tool :
Chip away the damaged area.
The fossils had been chipped out of the rock.
3.
[ vn , v ] ( especially in golf and football ( soccer ) ) to hit or kick the ball so that it goes high in the air and then lands within a short distance
4.
[ vn ] chip potatoes ( BrE ) to cut potatoes into long thin pieces and fry them in deep oil
5.
[ vn ] to put a microchip under the skin of a dog or other animal so that it can be identified if it is lost or stolen
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- chip away at sth
- chip in (with sth)
- chip off | chip sth off
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : related to Old English forcippian cut off .