chew up

phrasal verb

chewed up; chewing up; chews up

: to destroy (something) by chewing it

My new puppy chewed up my shoes.

informal : to destroy or defeat (someone or something)

The truck chewed up the grass.

They chewed the competition up.

Examples of chew up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Bryant worried that Moore’s insight, authenticity and integrity would not be appreciated, and his friend would be chewed up and spit out. —

Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 2 July 2024 The mechanism is complicated, but here’s the gist: A lot of things that salamanders eat, including springtails and beetle larvae, chew up leaves on the forest floor. —

Benji Jones, Vox, 18 June 2024 Even so, Mack put up a showing the majority of the 156-player would have happily taken as a firm and fast No. 2 course chewed up many of the game’s elite. —

Jack Bantock, CNN, 14 June 2024 My teacher looked at me with disappointment yet seemed amused by the boys who took to scotch tape or even chewed up gum to hold their pillows together. —

Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 31 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for chew up

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chew up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.