/ tʃɒp; NAmE tʃɑːp/ verb , noun
■ verb ( -pp- )
1.
chop sth (up) (into sth) to cut sth into pieces with a sharp tool such as a knife :
[ vn ]
Chop the carrots up into small pieces.
Add the finely chopped onions.
He was chopping logs for firewood.
( figurative )
The country was chopped up into small administrative areas.
[also v ]
2.
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] ( informal ) to reduce sth by a large amount; to stop sth
SYN cut :
The share price was chopped from 50 pence to 20 pence.
3.
[ vn ] to hit sb/sth with a short downward stroke or blow
•
IDIOMS
- chop and change
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- chop (away) at sth
- chop sth down
- chop sth off (sth)
■ noun
1.
[ C ] a thick slice of meat with a bone attached to it, especially from a pig or sheep :
a pork / lamb chop
2.
[ C ] an act of cutting sth with a quick downward movement using an axe or a knife
3.
[ C ] an act of hitting sb/sth with the side of your hand in a quick downward movement :
a karate chop
4.
chops [ pl. ] ( informal ) the part of a person's or an animal's face around the mouth :
The dog sat licking its chops.
•
IDIOMS
- get / be given the chop
- be for the chop
- not much chop
••
WORD ORIGIN
verb and noun senses 1 to 3 late Middle English : variant of chap .
chop and change. late Middle English (in the sense barter, exchange ): perhaps related to Old English cēap bargaining, trade ; compare with chap- in chapman, pedlar.