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Definition of chaw in English:

chaw

Pronunciation /CHô/ /tʃɔ/

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noun

informal North American

  • 1An act of chewing something, especially something not intended to be swallowed.

    • ‘enjoying a good chaw’
    • ‘We could never resist the temptations of a good chaw without your help.’
    • ‘It's not a regular habit, but I like a good chaw when I'm hiking or sitting around a campfire in the woods.’
    1. 1.1Something chewed, especially a wad of tobacco.
      • ‘a chaw of tobacco’
      • ‘He had two great mounds of curls sticking out of his hat on either side of his head, and the biggest chaw of tobacco in his cheek that I've ever seen.’
      • ‘This topped sneaking a chaw of tobacco behind a school friend's garage, or hanging out with the glue-heads.’
      • ‘I worked to keep the wheel steady, watching as his lips contorted and then expelled a wet brown plug of used chaw.’
      • ‘Spittoons still grace the chamber, should any senator wish to gnaw on a bit of chaw, but senators are not permitted to use laptops on the floor.’
      • ‘Her shoulder bumps his, and he swallows his chaw.’
      quid, twist, plug, chew

transitive verb

[with object]informal North American

  • Chew (something, especially tobacco)

    • ‘now just about anyone can don stetsons and chaw tobacco’
    • ‘he passed the time chawing and spitting’
    • ‘On an early visit, I paid $37.50 for the privilege of chawing my way through four reasonably tasty slices of porterhouse, which is several dollars more than you'll pay for a superior piece of beef down the street.’
    • ‘This means they shoot squirrels, chaw and spit, and say ‘dang’ a lot.’
    • ‘Some men drink to forget their anger and hurt, others smoke or chaw when their nervous but I guess, with the exception of last night, Selby sucks a lemon instead.’

Origin

Late Middle English (as a verb): variant of chew.