1 A2 neutral
To chew food thoroughly until it is broken down and soft enough to swallow.
"Make sure you chew up your food properly before swallowing."
separable
chew up
B1 informal separable transitive
To chew food thoroughly; to destroy, damage, or consume something by or as if by chewing.
In plain English
To bite and grind food until it is small and soft, or to badly damage or use up something.
What does "chew up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
To damage, destroy, or consume something completely, often through a grinding or destructive process.
"The printer chewed up my report and I had to print the whole thing again."
separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To consume or waste large amounts of time, money, or resources.
"The legal fees alone chewed up nearly half of the settlement money."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To completely chew something 'up' — to grind it to pieces by chewing.
Actually means
To bite and grind food until it is small and soft, or to badly damage or use up something.
Usage tip
The literal sense (chewing food) is straightforward. The figurative sense (destroying or consuming resources) is very versatile — machines 'chew up' materials, time 'chews up' your day, and difficult situations can 'chew up' people. Also used for verbal attacks in American English.
Words that pair with "chew up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
food resources time money tape budget
How to conjugate "chew up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
chew up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
chews up
he/she/it
Past simple
chewed up
yesterday
Past participle
chewed up
have + pp
-ing form
chewing up
continuous
Hear "chew up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "chew up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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