as in eating
to crush or grind with the teeth
please chew your food thoroughly so you don't choke
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chewing
And when daily wear and tear was simulated – through continuous electric-toothbrush abrasion equivalent to about a year of brushing, as well as chewing and grinding – the teeth actually had superior resistance to wear, fracture and acid attack compared with natural enamel.
—
New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2025
Their larvae are capable of chewing through cardboard boxes and plastic bags, meaning even unopened packages of food are at risk for infestation.
—Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2025
It's not settled science, but some initial study shows that the act of chewing food may help people feel full sooner when eating.
—Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2025
This kind of wear is indicative of chewing hard, mechanically challenging foods such as tubers, seeds, fungi and fruit pits.
—Aditya Reddy Kurre, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
Rodents can damage a home by chewing on wires and insulation, and also carry several viruses that pose health risks.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2025
They have been recorded grabbing toxic millipedes and, rather than avoiding them, chewing and rubbing the secretions into their fur, especially around sensitive areas.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025
Stephen Frears’s Gothic drama is, to be fair, rather watchable — atmospheric and melancholic, with John Malkovich clearly getting a kick out of chewing any and all available scenery.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Then—for an incredible 23 minutes—the bat’s echolocation squeaks were punctuated by chewing and crunching, even as the animal kept flying.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2025
New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2025
Their larvae are capable of chewing through cardboard boxes and plastic bags, meaning even unopened packages of food are at risk for infestation.
—Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2025
It's not settled science, but some initial study shows that the act of chewing food may help people feel full sooner when eating.
—Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2025
This kind of wear is indicative of chewing hard, mechanically challenging foods such as tubers, seeds, fungi and fruit pits.
—Aditya Reddy Kurre, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
Rodents can damage a home by chewing on wires and insulation, and also carry several viruses that pose health risks.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2025
They have been recorded grabbing toxic millipedes and, rather than avoiding them, chewing and rubbing the secretions into their fur, especially around sensitive areas.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025
Stephen Frears’s Gothic drama is, to be fair, rather watchable — atmospheric and melancholic, with John Malkovich clearly getting a kick out of chewing any and all available scenery.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Then—for an incredible 23 minutes—the bat’s echolocation squeaks were punctuated by chewing and crunching, even as the animal kept flying.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chewing
Verb
-
While about 10% of adults worldwide report bloating, fatigue or gut pain after eating foods containing gluten, only 16% to 30% of those cases show true gluten-specific reactions, the paper found.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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While that helps some of us love and others loathe tastes like super-dark chocolate or black coffee, the evolutionary purpose of these receptors is to keep us from eating things that could harm or kill us.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Even shoppers nibbling on a slice of pizza seemed to be mocking him.—
Jeff Pearlman,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
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But now social media is eating media-media’s lunch, nibbling into time that used to be spent watching TV and movies, particularly for younger generations, and refashioning itself less as a network and more as a broadcaster.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In this section of the hike, as the trail ran parallel and relatively close to the paved State Park Road, a deer and fawn were spotted munching on the grass in an open field.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
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Certain sea turtles, for example, independently evolved seagrass-munching adaptations multiple times across different epochs.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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People who aren't used to eating fiber-rich foods may experience bloating and gas after consuming fibrous foods.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Might the show — with its army of all-knowing, obsequious entities consuming humanity — be a metaphor for the dangers of artificial intelligence?—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chewing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chewing. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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