chip

noun

\ ˈchip

plural chips

Definition of chip

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a small usually thin and flat piece (as of wood or stone) cut, struck, or flaked off

b : a small piece of food: such as

(1) : a small, thin, crisp, usually salty piece of food typically prepared by frying, baking, or drying banana chips especially : potato chip — see also corn chip

(2) : french fry

(3) : a small often cone-shaped bit of food often used for baking chocolate chips

c : a small card displaying a paint color or a range of paint colors available for purchase fabric swatches and paint chips

2 : something small, worthless, or trivial

3a : one of the counters used as a token for money in poker and other games

b chips plural : money —used especially in the phrase in the chips The beginning was always characterized by careless haste in the expectation of landing in the chips,…— William Kittredge

c : something valuable that can be used for advantage in negotiation or trade a bargaining chip

4 : a piece of dried dung —usually used in combination cow chip

5 : a flaw left after a chip has been broken off

6a : integrated circuit

b : a small wafer of semiconductor material that forms the base for an integrated circuit

7 : chip shot sense 1

8 : microarray DNA chips

chip off the old block

: a child that resembles his or her parent

chip on one's shoulder

: a challenging or belligerent attitude

chip

verb

chipped; chipping

Definition of chip (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to cut or hew with an edged tool

b(1) : to cut or break (a small piece) from something

(2) : to cut or break a fragment from chip a tooth

(3) : to cut into chips chip a tree stump

2 British : chaff, banter

3 : to hit (a return in tennis) with backspin

intransitive verb

1 : to break off in small pieces

2 : to play a chip shot

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about chip

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Examples of chip in a Sentence

Noun

The cup has a chip in it. wood chips were spread over the ground between the plants

Verb

I bit into something hard and chipped my tooth. He fell and chipped a bone in his knee. The paint had chipped off. He chipped away the ice from the car's windshield. The sculptor chipped away bits of stone. The golfer chipped the ball onto the green. She chipped the soccer ball over the goalie's head. He chipped a pass to his teammate. The golfer chipped onto the green.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

There will be food and beverage vendors offering items such as fish and chips, shepherd's pie, corned beef and Swiss, Irish poutine and more. — Chris Sims, Indianapolis Star, "Everything you need to know about Indy Irish Fest 2019," 9 Sep. 2019 Melt chocolate chips, butter, and cocoa in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. — Tara Bench, Country Living, "Marshmallow Ghost Brownies," 6 Sep. 2019 In July Japan elevated the conflict to the commercial realm by restricting exports of chemicals that are essential for manufacturing memory chips, one of South Korea’s biggest industries. — The Economist, "An old grudge between Japan and South Korea is getting out of hand," 29 Aug. 2019 Bring chips and dip, revealing my imperfections; or ask to reschedule, and halt the barreling snowball of our romance. — Caroline Langerman, Glamour, "To Be Loved, I Had to Let Go of My Makeup," 29 Aug. 2019 Her appendage has to be just a few inches from the vehicle for the chip to be effective because its range is limited. — Peter Holley, Washington Post, "This Telsa owner wanted to control her Model 3. So she implanted a valet key in her arm.," 27 Aug. 2019 But both actors can also play enormously warm and cuddly guys who are there for you when the chips are down. — Emily Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "Danny McBride and John Goodman on God, capitalism, and wearing cool pinkie rings," 16 Aug. 2019 Lunch is one sandwich with chicken salad and one ham and cheese sandwich on a roll, plus chips, coleslaw and a cupcake. — Lois Szymanski, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Central Carroll: Roaring Run Lions Club hosting Vera Bradley and Longaberger Basket Bingo; Peach Festival at St. John’s Lutheran," 14 Aug. 2019 But Goumas also made direct eye contact with another set of birds that approached the chips, which were just an arm's length away. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "Here's Exactly How to Keep Jerk Seagulls Away from Your Food, According to Science," 7 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Debinha then chipped the ball into the box for Kristen Hamilton, who scored. — Jamie Goldberg, oregonlive, "Portland Thorns suffer devastating 6-0 loss to North Carolina Courage: Highlights, live updates recap," 11 Sep. 2019 Tecatito Corona burst away from Christian Pulisic, dribbled through the legs of defender Sergino Dest and chipped the ball toward a wide-open Chicharito Hernandez in the center of the box. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, "Soccer! Loss to Mexico shows U.S. men’s team still has a long way to go," 10 Sep. 2019 After a ball over the top from the midfield beat Augsburg's back line, Sargent connected on a first touch to bring the ball back to his chest before chipping the goalkeeper for the superb goal. — Alaa Abdeldaiem, SI.com, "WATCH: Josh Sargent Opens Season With Brilliant First Goal for Werder Bremen," 1 Sep. 2019 Julian Gressel knocked a long, diagonal pass into the path of Martinez, who chipped Timbers goalkeeper Steve Clark from the top of the box with a beautiful finish. — Caitlin Murray | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive.com, "Déjà vu for Portland Timbers in loss to Atlanta in MLS Cup rematch," 18 Aug. 2019 Ryan Lopez dribbled into the box and chipped the ball up to Diaz, who headed the ball past Hartford keeper Cody Cropper. — Shawn Mcfarland, courant.com, "Hartford Athletic scores four times in second half to defeat Puerto Rican national team 5-1 in international friendly," 18 Aug. 2019 Appearances such as the one with Jackson — his onetime rival in the 1988 Democratic presidential primary — will signal whether Harris’ attack will chip into his support among African Americans. — Will Weissert, Fortune, "Biden Defends Past Civil Rights Record After Harris Attack," 29 June 2019 Striker Alex Morgan passed on the run to Tobin Heath on the right side, who chipped the ball toward the center to a fast-closing Rapinoe, who booted the ball home for a 2-0 lead. — Rachel Bachman, WSJ, "U.S. Defeats France, 2-1, to Advance to Semifinals," 28 June 2019 Appearances such as the one with Jackson — his onetime rival in the 1988 Democratic presidential primary — will signal whether Harris’ attack will chip into his support among African Americans. — Will Weissert, Twin Cities, "Biden defends past civil rights record after Harris attack," 28 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chip.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for chip

Noun

Middle English; akin to Old English -cippian

Verb

Middle English chippen, from Old English -cippian (as in forcippian to cut off); akin to Old English cipp beam, Old High German chipfa stave

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Dictionary Entries near chip

Statistics for chip

Last Updated

18 Sep 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for chip

The first known use of chip was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for chip

chip

noun

English Language Learners Definition of chip

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a small piece that has been broken off from something larger

: a place where a small piece of something has broken off

: a small piece of candy or chocolate used in baking

chip

verb

English Language Learners Definition of chip (Entry 2 of 2)

: to break off a small piece from (something)

: to break or come off in small pieces

: to break off (something) especially with a tool

See the full definition for chip in the English Language Learners Dictionary

chip

noun

\ ˈchip

Kids Definition of chip

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a small piece cut or broken off wood chips a chip of glass

2 : a thin crisp piece of food and especially potato tortilla chips

3 : a small bit of candy used in baking chocolate chips

4 : a flaw left after a small piece has been broken off There's a chip in the rim of that cup.

5 : integrated circuit

6 : a small slice of silicon containing a number of electronic circuits (as for a computer)

chip

verb

chipped; chipping

Kids Definition of chip (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to cut or break a small piece from I fell and chipped my tooth.

2 : to break off in small pieces We chipped the ice from the windshield.

chip

noun

\ ˈchip

Medical Definition of chip

: microarray When exposed to a sample of unknown DNA, the probes on the chip bind to their complementary strands, thereby reading the sequences in the sample.— Jeff Wheelwright, Discover, April 2002