chop
/tʃɒp/ IELTSAcademic
verb
To cut something into pieces with a quick, strong movement. It is often used for food, wood, or other hard materials.
- Please chop the onions finely.
- He chopped wood for the fire.
- She chopped the carrots into small pieces.
noun
A quick cut or a piece cut off by chopping. It can also mean a blow, especially in older or more literary use.
- Give the vegetables a rough chop.
- The butcher made one clean chop.
- He felt a sharp chop on his shoulder.
Adinary Nuance
Use chop when the cutting is quick, forceful, and often rough. It sounds stronger than slice, which suggests thin, neat cuts, and less precise than dice, which means cutting into small cubes. For food, chop is very common in everyday speech and recipes.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- chặt
- Spanish
- picar
- Chinese
- 剁
- Japanese
- 刻む
- Korean
- 다지다
Etymology
Chop came into English from Middle English, probably from Old English or related Germanic words meaning 'cut' or 'strike'. The word has been in common use since the medieval period.
Common phrases
chop upa chop of woodchop and change
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between chop and slice?
- Chop means to cut in a quick, strong way. Slice usually means to cut into thin, smooth pieces.
- Is chop common in everyday English?
- Yes. It is very common in cooking, gardening, and general speech.
- Can I say chop the vegetables?
- Yes. That is a natural and correct way to say it.
- Does chop always mean cutting food?
- No. It can also mean cutting wood or other hard things.