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| n. 1. A small broken or cut off piece, as of wood, stone, or glass. 2. A crack or flaw caused by the removal of a small piece. 3. a. A small disk or counter used in poker and other games to represent money. b. chips Slang Money. 4. See microchip. 5. a. A thin, usually fried slice of food, especially a potato chip: ate chips with her sandwich. b. A very small piece of food or candy: made cookies with chocolate chips. c. chips Chiefly British French fries. 6. Wood, palm leaves, straw, or similar material cut and dried for weaving. 7. A fragment of dried animal dung used as fuel. 8. Something worthless. 9. Sports A chip shot. v. chipped, chip·ping, chips v. tr. 1. To chop or cut with an axe or other implement. 2. a. To break a small piece from: chip a tooth. b. To break or cut off (a small piece): chip ice from the window. 3. To shape or carve by cutting or chopping: chipped her name in the stone. 4. To implant a microchip in (an organism). v. intr. Phrasal Verbs: 1. To become broken off into small pieces. 2. Sports To make a chip shot in golf. chip away To reduce or make progress on something incrementally: We chipped away until the problem was solved. chip in Idioms: 1. To contribute money or labor: We all chipped in for beer. 2. To interrupt with comments; interject. 3. To put up chips or money as one's bet in poker and other games. chip off the old block A child whose appearance or character closely resembles that of one or the other parent. chip on (one's) shoulder A habitually hostile or combative attitude, especially in response to perceived slights. when the chips are down At a critical or difficult time. [Middle English, from Old English cyp, beam, from Latin cippus.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
intr.v. chipped, chip·ping, chips To cheep, as a bird. [Imitative.] chip n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
