chew off
B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To bite and chew something until it breaks off or comes away.
Literal meaning: To use the teeth and jaw (chew) to detach (off) something — fully transparent and literal.
Meanings
1 B1 neutral
To remove something by chewing until it detaches.
"The dog had chewed off the corner of the leather sofa while we were away."
Grammar: separable
2 B2
idiomatic
informal
Hyperbolically, to bite something with great force or out of extreme hunger or frustration.
"I was so hungry by lunchtime I could have chewed off my own arm."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Primarily literal and physical in meaning. Common in descriptions of animal behaviour (dogs, rodents). Can also be used hyperbolically. Less common in figurative contexts than 'bite off.'
Commonly used with
nail tag label bark limb finger
Forms
Base
chew off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
chews off
he/she/it
Past simple
chewed off
yesterday
Past participle
chewed off
have + pp
-ing form
chewing off
continuous
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