chip
♦ chip /tʃ'ɪp/ (chips chipping chipped)
1 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Chips are long, thin pieces of potato fried in oil or fat and eaten hot, usually with a meal. (BRIT; in AM, use French fries)
I had fish and chips in a cafe...
2 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Chips or potato chips are very thin slices of fried potato that are eaten cold as a snack. (AM; in BRIT, use crisps)
...a package of onion-flavored potato chips.
3 [N-COUNT]
A silicon chip is a very small piece of silicon with electronic circuits on it which is part of a computer or other piece of machinery.
4 [N-COUNT] oft supp N
A chip is a small piece of something or a small piece which has been broken off something.
It contains real chocolate chips...
Teichler's eyes gleamed like chips of blue glass.
5 [N-COUNT]
A chip in something such as a piece of china or furniture is where a small piece has been broken off it.
The washbasin had a small chip.
6 [VERB] V n, V
If you chip something or if it chips, a small piece is broken off it.
The blow chipped the woman's tooth...
Steel baths are lighter but chip easily.
● chipped [ADJ]
They drank out of chipped mugs.
7 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Chips are plastic counters used in gambling to represent money.
He put the pile of chips in the center of the table and drew a card.
8 [N-COUNT]
In discussions between people or governments, a chip or a bargaining chip is something of value which one side holds, which can be exchanged for something they want from the other side.
The information could be used as a bargaining chip to extract some parallel information from Britain...
9
see also blue chip
10 [PHRASE] usu v-link PHR
If you describe someone as a chip off the old block, you mean that they are just like one of their parents in character or behaviour.
Her fifth child was born, a son who Sally at first thought was another chip off the old block.
11 [PHRASE]
If you say that something happens when the chips are down, you mean it happens when a situation gets very difficult. (INFORMAL)
When the chips are down, she's very tough.
12 [PHRASE] Ns inflect, usu have/with PHR
If you say that someone has a chip on their shoulder, you think that they feel inferior or that they believe they have been treated unfairly. (INFORMAL)
He had this chip on his shoulder about my mum and dad thinking that they're better than him.bar|gain|ing chip (bargaining chips)
[N-COUNT]
In negotiations with other people, a bargaining chip is something that you are prepared to give up in order to obtain what you want.
Rubio suggests that oil be used as a bargaining chip in any trade talks.
= bargaining counterblue chip (blue chips)
[N-COUNT] oft N n
Blue chip stocks and shares are an investment which are considered fairly safe to invest in while also being profitable. (BUSINESS)
Blue chip issues were sharply higher, but the rest of the market actually declined slightly by the end of the day.chip and PIN
[N-UNCOUNT] oft N n
Chip and PIN is a method of paying for goods you have bought by using both a bank card and a PIN number.
...the new chip and PIN cards.chip away at
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you chip away at something such as an idea, a feeling, or a system, you gradually make it weaker or less likely to succeed by repeated efforts.
Instead of an outright coup attempt, the rebels want to chip away at her authority.
= erode
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you chip away at a debt or an amount of money, you gradually reduce it.
The group had hoped to chip away at its debts by selling assets.chip in
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P n (not pron), also V P with n
When a number of people chip in, each person gives some money so that they can pay for something together. (INFORMAL)
They chip in for the petrol and food...
The brothers chip in a certain amount of money each month to hire a home health aide.
= contribute
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P with quote, V P
If someone chips in during a conversation, they interrupt it in order to say something. (INFORMAL)
`That's true,' chipped in Quaver...
He chipped in before Clements could answer.chip shop (chip shops)
[N-COUNT]
A chip shop is a shop which sells hot food such as fish and chips, fried chicken, sausages, and meat pies. The food is cooked in the shop and people take it away to eat at home or in the street. (BRIT)
= fish and chip shopmemo|ry chip (memory chips)
[N-COUNT]
In a computer, the memory chip is the microchip in which information is stored.po|ta|to chip (potato chips)
1 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Potato chips are very thin slices of potato that have been fried until they are hard, dry, and crisp. (AM; in BRIT, use crisps)
2 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Potato chips are long, thin pieces of potato fried in oil or fat and eaten hot, usually with a meal. (BRIT; in AM, use French fries)sili|con chip (silicon chips)
[N-COUNT]
A silicon chip is a very small piece of silicon inside a computer. It has electronic circuits on it and can hold large quantities of information or perform mathematical or logical operations.
= microchiptor|til|la chip (tortilla chips)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
Tortilla chips are thick crisps made from corn which are often served with dips such as salsa.
1 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Chips are long, thin pieces of potato fried in oil or fat and eaten hot, usually with a meal. (BRIT; in AM, use French fries)
I had fish and chips in a cafe...
2 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Chips or potato chips are very thin slices of fried potato that are eaten cold as a snack. (AM; in BRIT, use crisps)
...a package of onion-flavored potato chips.
3 [N-COUNT]
A silicon chip is a very small piece of silicon with electronic circuits on it which is part of a computer or other piece of machinery.
4 [N-COUNT] oft supp N
A chip is a small piece of something or a small piece which has been broken off something.
It contains real chocolate chips...
Teichler's eyes gleamed like chips of blue glass.
5 [N-COUNT]
A chip in something such as a piece of china or furniture is where a small piece has been broken off it.
The washbasin had a small chip.
6 [VERB] V n, V
If you chip something or if it chips, a small piece is broken off it.
The blow chipped the woman's tooth...
Steel baths are lighter but chip easily.
● chipped [ADJ]
They drank out of chipped mugs.
7 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Chips are plastic counters used in gambling to represent money.
He put the pile of chips in the center of the table and drew a card.
8 [N-COUNT]
In discussions between people or governments, a chip or a bargaining chip is something of value which one side holds, which can be exchanged for something they want from the other side.
The information could be used as a bargaining chip to extract some parallel information from Britain...
9
see also blue chip
10 [PHRASE] usu v-link PHR
If you describe someone as a chip off the old block, you mean that they are just like one of their parents in character or behaviour.
Her fifth child was born, a son who Sally at first thought was another chip off the old block.
11 [PHRASE]
If you say that something happens when the chips are down, you mean it happens when a situation gets very difficult. (INFORMAL)
When the chips are down, she's very tough.
12 [PHRASE] Ns inflect, usu have/with PHR
If you say that someone has a chip on their shoulder, you think that they feel inferior or that they believe they have been treated unfairly. (INFORMAL)
He had this chip on his shoulder about my mum and dad thinking that they're better than him.bar|gain|ing chip (bargaining chips)
[N-COUNT]
In negotiations with other people, a bargaining chip is something that you are prepared to give up in order to obtain what you want.
Rubio suggests that oil be used as a bargaining chip in any trade talks.
= bargaining counterblue chip (blue chips)
[N-COUNT] oft N n
Blue chip stocks and shares are an investment which are considered fairly safe to invest in while also being profitable. (BUSINESS)
Blue chip issues were sharply higher, but the rest of the market actually declined slightly by the end of the day.chip and PIN
[N-UNCOUNT] oft N n
Chip and PIN is a method of paying for goods you have bought by using both a bank card and a PIN number.
...the new chip and PIN cards.chip away at
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you chip away at something such as an idea, a feeling, or a system, you gradually make it weaker or less likely to succeed by repeated efforts.
Instead of an outright coup attempt, the rebels want to chip away at her authority.
= erode
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you chip away at a debt or an amount of money, you gradually reduce it.
The group had hoped to chip away at its debts by selling assets.chip in
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P n (not pron), also V P with n
When a number of people chip in, each person gives some money so that they can pay for something together. (INFORMAL)
They chip in for the petrol and food...
The brothers chip in a certain amount of money each month to hire a home health aide.
= contribute
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P with quote, V P
If someone chips in during a conversation, they interrupt it in order to say something. (INFORMAL)
`That's true,' chipped in Quaver...
He chipped in before Clements could answer.chip shop (chip shops)
[N-COUNT]
A chip shop is a shop which sells hot food such as fish and chips, fried chicken, sausages, and meat pies. The food is cooked in the shop and people take it away to eat at home or in the street. (BRIT)
= fish and chip shopmemo|ry chip (memory chips)
[N-COUNT]
In a computer, the memory chip is the microchip in which information is stored.po|ta|to chip (potato chips)
1 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Potato chips are very thin slices of potato that have been fried until they are hard, dry, and crisp. (AM; in BRIT, use crisps)
2 [N-COUNT] usu pl
Potato chips are long, thin pieces of potato fried in oil or fat and eaten hot, usually with a meal. (BRIT; in AM, use French fries)sili|con chip (silicon chips)
[N-COUNT]
A silicon chip is a very small piece of silicon inside a computer. It has electronic circuits on it and can hold large quantities of information or perform mathematical or logical operations.
= microchiptor|til|la chip (tortilla chips)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
Tortilla chips are thick crisps made from corn which are often served with dips such as salsa.