Chop Definition and Meaning
By Tayyaba Rehman & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 5, 2024
Chop generally means to cut something into pieces with quick, heavy blows, often using a sharp tool like a knife or an axe. e.g., He used an axe to chop the wood.
Table of Contents
Chop Definitions
To cut into pieces with short, swift strokes.
She quickly chop the vegetables for the soup.
To sever with a sharp instrument.
The chef chop the chicken into portions.
To reduce or eliminate abruptly.
Budgets were chop due to funding cuts.
A downward cutting motion.
He delivered a chop with his hand in martial arts.
To shape or form by chopping.
The sculptor chop the ice into a swan.
To make a rough or hasty cut.
She chop a path through the bushes.
To divide something into parts.
The butcher chop the meat expertly.
To cut off suddenly.
He chop the rope with a quick motion.
To remove or cut off by striking.
He had to chop off the damaged branch.
To cut by striking with a heavy sharp tool, such as an axe
Chop wood.
To shape or form by chopping
Chop a hole in the ice.
To cut into small pieces
Chop onions and carrots.
Chop up meat.
To reduce abruptly or by a large amount
Chopped off his sentence midway.
Are going to chop expenses.
(Sports) To hit or swing at (a pitched ball) with a short downward stroke.
To make heavy, cutting strokes.
(Archaic) To move roughly or suddenly.
To change direction suddenly, as a ship in the wind.
The act of chopping.
A swift, short, cutting blow or stroke.
(Sports) A short downward stroke.
A piece that has been chopped off, especially a cut of meat, usually taken from the rib, shoulder, or loin and containing a bone.
A short irregular motion of waves.
An area of choppy water, as on an ocean.
The official stamp or seal of a government, company, or individual, especially in China.
Quality; class
First chop.
A cut of meat, often containing a section of a rib.
I only like lamb chops with mint jelly.
A blow with an axe, cleaver, or similar utensil.
It should take just one good chop to fell the sapling.
(martial arts) A blow delivered with the hand rigid and outstretched.
A karate chop.
Ocean waves, generally caused by wind, distinguished from swell by being smaller and not lasting as long.
(poker) A hand where two or more players have an equal-valued hand, resulting in the chips being shared equally between them.
With both players having an ace-high straight, the pot was a chop.
Termination, especially from employment; the sack.
A woodchopping competition.
(dated) A crack or cleft; a chap.
A turn of fortune; change; a vicissitude.
A jaw of an animal.
A movable jaw or cheek, as of a vice.
The land at each side of the mouth of a river, harbour, or channel.
East Chop; West Chop
An official stamp or seal, as in China and India.
A mark indicating nature, quality, or brand.
Silk of the first chop
A license or passport that has been sealed.
A complete shipment.
A chop of tea
(internet) An IRC channel operator.
(transitive) To cut into pieces with short, vigorous cutting motions.
Chop wood; chop an onion
(transitive) To sever with an axe or similar implement.
Chop off his head.
(transitive) to give a downward cutting blow or movement, typically with the side of the hand.
To hit the ball downward so that it takes a high bounce.
(poker) To divide the pot (or tournament prize) between two or more players. en
(intransitive) To make a quick, heavy stroke or a series of strokes, with or as with an ax.
(intransitive) To do something suddenly with an unexpected motion; to catch or attempt to seize.
(intransitive) To interrupt; with in or out.
To remove the final character from (a text string).
(obsolete) To exchange, to barter; to swap.
To chap or crack.
(nautical) To vary or shift suddenly.
The wind chops about.
(obsolete) To twist words.
To converse, discuss, or speak with another.
To cut by striking repeatedly with a sharp instrument; to cut into pieces; to mince; - often with up.
To sever or separate by one more blows of a sharp instrument; to divide; - usually with off or down.
Chop off your hand, and it to the king.
To seize or devour greedily; - with up.
Upon the opening of his mouth he drops his breakfast, which the fox presently chopped up.
To make a quick strike, or repeated strokes, with an ax or other sharp instrument.
To do something suddenly with an unexpected motion; to catch or attempt to seize.
Out of greediness to get both, he chops at the shadow, and loses the substance.
To interrupt; - with in or out.
This fellow interrupted the sermon, even suddenly chopping in.
To barter or truck.
To exchange; substitute one thing for another.
We go on chopping and changing our friends.
To purchase by way of truck.
To vary or shift suddenly; as, the wind chops about.
To wrangle; to altercate; to bandy words.
Let not the counsel at the bar chop with the judge.
A change; a vicissitude.
The act of chopping; a stroke.
A piece chopped off; a slice or small piece, especially of meat; as, a mutton chop.
A crack or cleft. See Chap.
A jaw of an animal; - commonly in the pl. See Chops.
A movable jaw or cheek, as of a wooden vise.
The land at each side of the mouth of a river, harbor, or channel; as, East Chop or West Chop. See Chops.
Quality; brand; as, silk of the first chop.
A permit or clearance.
A small cut of meat including part of a rib
A tennis return made with a downward motion that puts backspin on the ball
A grounder that bounces high in the air
Cut into pieces;
Chop wood
Chop meat
Move suddenly
Strike sharply, as in some sports
Cut with a hacking tool
Hit sharply
To strike with a quick, heavy blow.
The woodcutter chop the tree trunk efficiently.
Chop Snonyms
Carve
To cut into something with care or precision.
They carve the turkey every Thanksgiving with a special set of knives.
Slice
To cut something into thin, flat pieces.
She learned to slice vegetables quickly without cutting her fingers.
Cut
To divide with a sharp-edged instrument.
She cut the paper into shapes for her art project.
Dice
To cut food into small cubes.
He diced the onions finely for the salsa.
Segment
To divide something into separate parts.
She segmented the orange for her children's snack.
Trim
To make something neat by cutting away irregular or unwanted parts.
He trimmed the edges of the lawn to keep it looking neat.
Hack
To cut with heavy blows in an irregular or random fashion.
He hacked through the underbrush with a machete.
Minced
Cut up or grind into very small pieces.
He minced garlic for the marinade.
Cube
To cut food into square pieces.
She cubed the cheese for the salad.
Divide
To separate or be separated into parts.
They divided the cake into equal slices for everyone to share.
Chop Idioms & Phrases
Chop-chop
To do something quickly; to hurry up.
We need to finish packing, so let's do it chop-chop!
Take the chop
To be dismissed from employment; to be fired.
After the merger, several employees were worried they might take the chop.
Chop logic
To argue in a way that is overly concerned with minor details or semantics.
During the debate, he tended to chop logic rather than addressing the main points.
Chop wood, carry water
To do humble or routine work.
Even after becoming famous, she still believed in the importance of chopping wood and carrying water.
Chop the tree
To tackle a problem at its root.
To really solve the issue, we need to chop the tree, not just prune the branches.
Chop and change
To frequently change one's opinions or plans.
The new manager's tendency to chop and change strategies led to confusion among the team.
Get the chop
To be terminated or cancelled.
The TV show got the chop after just one season due to low ratings.
Chop down to size
To reduce something in size, importance, or arrogance.
The veteran player chopped the rookie down to size with his superior skills.
Chop it up
To converse or chat in a casual manner.
We met at the café to chop it up about old times.
Chop water, carry wood
To perform basic or mundane tasks.
Before he became a master, he had to chop water and carry wood like everyone else.
Pork chop
An affectionate term for someone who is somewhat chubby or plump.
Grandma always called me her little pork chop when I was younger.
In the chopping block
At risk of being eliminated or cut from a position.
With budget cuts looming, many projects are on the chopping block.
Chop suey
A mixture or collection of varied parts.
The antique shop was like chop suey, full of an assortment of items from different eras.
Chop shop
A place where stolen vehicles are dismantled so the parts can be sold or used in other vehicles.
The police raided a chop shop that was selling parts from stolen cars.
Lamb to the chop
An innocent or naive person who is about to be harmed or taken advantage of.
Walking into the negotiation, he felt like a lamb to the chop.
Chop off the old block
A child who resembles their parent in appearance or behavior.
He's a real chop off the old block, just like his father in so many ways.
Chop out the dead wood
To remove or get rid of the less productive or unnecessary elements from something.
The company needed to chop out the dead wood to improve efficiency.
Chop Example Sentences
She used a sharp knife to chop the herbs.
He chop a piece of the board for the project.
He chop the firewood every morning.
He chop the carrots into small cubes for the stew.
They watched him chop the log into equal pieces.
She learned how to chop onions without crying.
They chop down the old tree in the yard.
The chef taught them how to chop quickly and safely.
He practiced his karate chops in class.
She carefully chop the tomatoes for the salad.
He chop the paper into strips for the craft.
They decided to chop the old furniture for firewood.
She had to chop off the tangled part of the rope.
She showed him how to chop garlic finely.
They needed to chop up the branches for compost.
Common Curiosities
How many syllables are in chop?
There is one syllable in "chop."
What is a stressed syllable in chop?
In "chop," the single syllable is stressed.
What is the verb form of chop?
"Chop" itself is a verb.
What is the pronunciation of chop?
Chop is pronounced as /tʃɒp/.
What is the root word of chop?
The root word of "chop" is the Middle English "choppen."
What is the first form of chop?
The first form (base form) of "chop" is "chop."
How do we divide chop into syllables?
As a single syllable word, "chop" is not divided into syllables.
What part of speech is chop?
"Chop" can be both a noun and a verb.
What is the singular form of chop?
The singular form is "chop" as in "a chop."
Why is it called chop?
"Chop" is called so because it derives from Middle English "choppen," which likely meant to make a quick, heavy stroke or to chop.
How is chop used in a sentence?
Example: "He used an axe to chop the firewood."
What is the second form of chop?
The second form (past simple) of "chop" is "chopped."
What is the third form of chop?
The third form (past participle) of "chop" is "chopped."
Is chop a vowel or consonant?
"Chop" is a word, not a single vowel or consonant.
Is the chop term a metaphor?
"Chop" can be used metaphorically, especially in idioms like "chop and change."
Is the word chop imperative?
"Chop" can be used in the imperative form, as in "Chop the vegetables."
Is the word “chop” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
"Chop" as a noun can be a direct object, as in "He cooked a chop."
What is another term for chop?
Another term for "chop" is "cut."
Is the word chop Gerund?
The gerund form of "chop" is "chopping."
What is the opposite of chop?
The opposite of "chop" could be "assemble" or "join."
Is chop a negative or positive word?
"Chop" is neutral; its connotation depends on the context.
Which determiner is used with chop?
Determiners like "a," "the," or "that" can be used with "chop."
Which vowel is used before chop?
The use of a vowel before "chop" depends on the context and the preceding word.
Which preposition is used with chop?
Prepositions like "into," "with," or "for" can be used with "chop."
What is the plural form of chop?
The plural form is "chops" as in "several chops."
Is chop an adverb?
No, "chop" is not an adverb.
Is chop an abstract noun?
"Chop" is a concrete noun when referring to a cut of meat and a verb otherwise, not an abstract noun.
Is chop a collective noun?
No, "chop" is not a collective noun.
Which article is used with chop?
The articles "the," "a," or "an" can be used with "chop," depending on the context.
Is chop a noun or adjective?
"Chop" is primarily a verb and a noun, not an adjective.
Is chop a countable noun?
Yes, when used as a noun referring to a cut of meat, "chop" is countable.
Which conjunction is used with chop?
Conjunctions such as "and," "but," or "or" can be used with "chop."
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.