chop

1 verb chopped, chopping

1 CUT STH (T) chop up to cut something such as food or wood into smaller pieces: Can you chop some firewood? | chop sth into pieces/chunks/segments: Chop an onion into pieces.

2 REDUCE STH (T) to reduce by a large amount the money that can be spent: Next year's budget has been chopped by fifty percent.

3 SWING A TOOL (I) to swing a heavy tool such as an axe 1 (1) in order to cut something

(+ away/at): Ben's been chopping away at that tree for two hours now.

4 MAKE A PATH (T) to make a path by cutting down plants: The leader chopped a rough trail through the jungle. | chop your way through: We chopped our way through the underbrush.

5 chop and change BrE informal to keep changing your mind

6 HIT STH (T) to hit something by moving your hand downward quickly and suddenly: I chopped his wrist and he dropped the knife.

chop sth down phrasal verb (T) to make a tree or strong plant fall down by cutting it with a sharp tool such as an axe 1 (1) chop sth off phrasal verb (T) to remove something by cutting it with a sharp tool such as an axe 1 (1) so that it is no longer connected to something else: Charles I had his head chopped off. 2 noun (C)

1 MEAT a small flat piece of meat on a bone, usually cut from a sheep or pig: a grilled pork chop

2 get the chop BrE informal

a) to lose your job: Six more salesmen got the chop yesterday.

b) to officially stop something or reduce the amount you are paying for it: The project got the chop in the last board meeting.

3 be for the chop BrE informal to be very likely to be closed or stopped: One of the three factories is for the chop.

4 WITH YOUR HAND a sudden downward movement with your hand: a karate chop

5 WITH A TOOL the act of hitting something once with a sharp tool such as an axe 1 (1)

6 the chops informal the part of your face that includes your mouth and jaw: I hit him in the chops.