chopstick

noun

chop·​stick ˈchäp-ˌstik 

plural chopsticks

: one of a pair of slender sticks (as of wood or plastic) held between the thumb and fingers and used to lift food to the mouth

Never spear food with a chopstick! If you're having trouble picking up your food, a spoon is your plan B.

—Laura Barry

—usually used in plural

To eat rice, both etiquette and practicality dictate that you use chopsticks to pick up a morsel of meat, fish, or whatever …; position it over the rice bowl, allowing its juices or sauce to drip into the rice; eat the morsel; then shovel some rice into your mouth with the chopsticks.

—Saveur

"… I do get uncomfortable when people use chopsticks for every Asian food. Traditionally, I may use chopsticks when my food is served in a soup bowl with noodles or rice, but we often use forks and spoons for our dishes. …"

—Darrell Loo, quoted in Feast

Illustration of chopstick

Examples of chopstick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Online commentators also marveled at Yellen’s dexterity with chopsticks, after a Weibo account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV released a short video showing her dining at a Cantonese restaurant in Guangzhou. —Nectar Gan, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024

Grace smiled and held a pair of chopsticks near her head in the first photo as Gomez mimicked taking a bite of food next to her. —Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024

The chopsticks extended their fingers by five inches. —Chip Colwell, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024

The use of her chopsticks at a restaurant in Guangzhou has also been a particular observation. —Fatima Hussein, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024

The breathless state media coverage of her dining choices or dexterity with chopsticks reflects an effort by Beijing to cast Yellen’s visit in a positive light, especially to an increasingly anti-American Chinese public. —Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

Light-Up Lightsaber Chopsticks, $12 To lock down some stocking stuffers that are far more interesting than a bar of chocolate, add these light-up lightsaber chopsticks. —Melissa Epifano, EW.com, 9 Dec. 2023

This easy trick to pitting cherries only requires two tools: a bottle and a chopstick. —Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2023

The utensils gave these cooks the same control their Asian counterparts had enjoyed for centuries with chopsticks but were easier to master. —The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Chinese Pidgin English chop fast + English stick

First Known Use

1699, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

chopstick

noun

chop·​stick ˈchäp-ˌstik 

: one of a pair of slender sticks used chiefly in Asian countries to lift food to the mouth