1 C1 neutral
To bite down firmly and noisily on something.
"The horse champed down on the apple and finished it in seconds."
inseparable
champ down on
C1 informal inseparable transitive
To bite down on something with force; or (rarely) to suppress or control something firmly.
In plain English
To bite down hard on something.
What does "champ down on" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To press the jaws down hard on something and chew or bite it.
Actually means
To bite down hard on something.
Usage tip
Extremely rare as a phrasal verb. The verb 'champ' means to bite or chew noisily. 'Champ down on' literally means to bite down hard. Any figurative sense (suppressing something) is non-standard and likely a blend with 'clamp down on'. Learners should use 'clamp down on' for the figurative sense.
Words that pair with "champ down on"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
bit pipe food jaw
How to conjugate "champ down on"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
champ down on
I/you/we/they
3rd person
champs down on
he/she/it
Past simple
champed down on
yesterday
Past participle
champed down on
have + pp
-ing form
champing down on
continuous
Hear "champ down on" in the wild
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Other ways to say "champ down on"
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