chip

[ chip ]

/ tʃɪp /

noun

a small, slender piece, as of wood, separated by chopping, cutting, or breaking.

a very thin slice or small piece of food, candy, etc.: chocolate chips.

a mark or flaw made by the breaking off or gouging out of a small piece: This glass has a chip.

any of the small round disks, usually of plastic or ivory, used as tokens for money in certain gambling games, as roulette or poker; counter.

Also called microchip. Electronics. a tiny slice of semiconducting material, generally in the shape of a square a few millimeters long, cut from a larger wafer of the material, on which a transistor or an entire integrated circuit is formed. Compare microprocessor.

a small cut or uncut piece of a diamond or crystal.

anything trivial or worthless.

something dried up or without flavor.

a piece of dried dung: buffalo chips.

wood, straw, etc., in thin strips for weaving into hats, baskets, etc.

Golf. chip shot.

Tennis. a softly sliced return shot with heavy backspin.

the strip of material removed by a recording stylus as it cuts the grooves in a record.

chips, Chiefly British. French fries.

verb (used with object), chipped, chip·ping.

to hew or cut with an ax, chisel, etc.

to cut, break off, or gouge out (bits or fragments): He chipped a few pieces of ice from the large cube.

to disfigure by breaking off a fragment: to chip the edge of a saucer.

to shape or produce by cutting or flaking away pieces: to chip a figure out of wood.

Games. to bet by means of chips, as in poker.

Tennis. to slice (a ball) on a return shot, causing it to have heavy backspin.

Slang. to take (a narcotic drug) occasionally, especially only in sufficient quantity to achieve a mild euphoria.

Chiefly British Sports. to hit or kick (a ball) a short distance forward.

British Slang. to jeer or criticize severely; deride; taunt.

Australian. to hoe; harrow.

verb (used without object), chipped, chip·ping.

to break off in small pieces.

Golf. to make a chip shot.

Verb Phrases

chip in,

to contribute money or assistance; participate.
Games. to bet a chip or chips, as in poker.
to interrupt a conversation to say something; butt in: We all chipped in with our suggestions for the reunion.

Idioms for chip

chip off the old block, a person who resembles one parent in appearance or behavior: His son is just a chip off the old block.

chip on one's shoulder, a disposition to quarrel: You will never make friends if you go around with a chip on your shoulder.

in the chips, Slang. wealthy; rich: Don't look down on your old friends now that you're in the chips.

when the chips are down, in a discouraging or disadvantageous situation; in bad or pressing times: When the chips are down he proves to be a loyal friend.

Origin of chip

1300–50; (noun) Middle English chip (compare Old English cipp plowshare, beam, i.e., piece cut off); (v.) late Middle English chippen (compare Old English -cippian in forcippian to cut off); akin to Middle Low German, Middle Dutch kippen to chip eggs, hatch

OTHER WORDS FROM chip

chip·pa·ble, adjective un·chip·pa·ble, adjective

Words nearby chip

chinwangtao, chiné, chioggia, chionodoxa, chios, chip, chip and dip, chip and pin, chip basket, chip carving, chip graft

Definition for chip (2 of 4)

chip ²

[ chip ]

/ tʃɪp /

verb (used without object), chipped, chip·ping.

to utter a short chirping or squeaking sound; cheep.

noun

a short chirping or squeaking cry.

Origin of chip

First recorded in 1880–85; variant of cheep

Definition for chip (3 of 4)

chip ³

[ chip ]

/ tʃɪp /

noun Wrestling.

a tricky or special method by which an opponent can be thrown.

Origin of chip

1820–30; noun use of chip to trip up; cognate with German kippen to tip over, Old Norse kippa to pull

Definition for chip (4 of 4)

Bohlen

[ boh-lin ]

/ ˈboʊ lɪn /

noun

Charles Eus·tis

[yoo-stis] /ˈyu stɪs/, Chip,1904–74, U.S. diplomat.

Example sentences from the Web for chip

When he returned to challenge James in 2006, he was a celebrity with a chip on his shoulder.

The Ugly Truth About Cory Booker, New Jersey’s Golden Boy |Olivia Nuzzi |October 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
So the question was, how do we design a chip hearty, while keeping it thin?

The Latest in High-Tech Chips | |September 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
A bunch of us were able to chip in and were able to get—I think within a day and a half—a journalist down to Ferguson.

The 'Mayor of the Internet' Fights the Good Fight |Gideon Resnick |August 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
At CES this year, Intel showed off a onesie equipped with a chip that monitors vitals and movement.

Are We Turning Our Babies Into Real Life Tamagotchis? |Brandy Zadrozny |August 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

I work out, I paddleboard, play tennis, I chip away, trying to keep up.

Pierce Brosnan’s Life After Bond: From Action Hero to Losing His Daughter to Cancer |Tim Teeman |July 2, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Enameled or agate ware which has begun to chip should be discarded.

American Red Cross Text-Book on Home Hygiene and Care of the Sick |Jane A. Delano
Suddenly she threw back her head; her chip hat fell back from her face, rosy with a dawning inspiration!

From Sand Hill to Pine |Bret Harte
There was a touch of fire to her independence, a chip on the shoulder of her pride the three partners recognized and respected.

Rimrock Trail |J. Allan Dunn
The Little Doctor turned hastily to see if Chip were coming.

The Flying U's Last Stand |B. M. Bower
I shouldn't be surprised if they chip in just before the end, if only to get their lost provinces back.

Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. |Percy F. Westerman

British Dictionary definitions for chip

chip

/ (tʃɪp) /

noun

a small piece removed by chopping, cutting, or breaking

a mark left after a small piece has been chopped, cut, or broken off something

(in some games) a counter used to represent money

a thin strip of potato fried in deep fat

US and Canadian a very thin slice of potato fried and eaten cold as a snack Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): crisp

a small piece or thin slice of food

sport a shot, kick, etc, lofted into the air, esp over an obstacle or an opposing player's head, and travelling only a short distance

electronics a tiny wafer of semiconductor material, such as silicon, processed to form a type of integrated circuit or component such as a transistor

a thin strip of wood or straw used for making woven hats, baskets, etc

NZ a container for soft fruit, made of thin sheets of wood; punnet

cheap as chips British informal inexpensive; good value

chip off the old block informal a person who resembles one of his or her parents in behaviour

have a chip on one's shoulder informal to be aggressively sensitive about a particular thing or bear a grudge

have had one's chips British informal to be defeated, condemned to die, killed, etc

when the chips are down informal at a time of crisis or testing

verb chips, chipping or chipped

to break small pieces from or become broken off in small pieces will the paint chip?

(tr) to break or cut into small pieces to chip ice

(tr) to shape by chipping

sport to strike or kick (a ball) in a high arc

Derived forms of chip

chipper, noun

Word Origin for chip

Old English cipp (n), cippian (vb), of obscure origin

Scientific definitions for chip

chip

[ chĭp ]

See integrated circuit.

Idioms and Phrases with chip

chip

In addition to the idioms beginning with chip

chip and dip
chip in
chip off the old block
chip on one's shoulder

also see:

cash in (one's chips)
in the money (chips)
let the chips fall where they may
when the chips are down

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

chip

noun

verb (used with object), chipped, chip·ping.