chop

verb

/tʃɒp/

/tʃɑːp/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they chop	/tʃɒp/ /tʃɑːp/
he / she / it chops	/tʃɒps/ /tʃɑːps/
past simple chopped	/tʃɒpt/ /tʃɑːpt/
past participle chopped	/tʃɒpt/ /tʃɑːpt/
-ing form chopping	/ˈtʃɒpɪŋ/ /ˈtʃɑːpɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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to cut something into pieces with a sharp tool such as a knife
- chop something He was chopping logs for firewood.
- Add the finely chopped onions.
- chop something (up) (into something) Chop the carrots up into small pieces.
- (figurative) The country was chopped up into small administrative areas.
Collocations Cooking
CookingPreparing
- prepare a dish/a meal/a menu/dinner/the fish
- weigh out 100g/4oz of sugar/the ingredients
- wash/rinse the lettuce/spinach/watercress
- chop/slice/dice the carrots/onions/potatoes
- peel the carrots/onion/potatoes/garlic/orange
- grate a carrot/the cheese/some nutmeg
- remove/discard the bones/seeds/skin
- blend/combine/mix (together) the flour and water/all the ingredients
- beat/whisk the cream/eggs/egg whites
- knead/shape/roll (out) the dough
Cooking
- heat the oil in a frying pan
- preheat/heat the oven/(British English) the grill/(North American English) the broiler
- bring to (British English) the boil/(North American English) a boil
- stir constantly/gently with a wooden spoon
- reduce the heat
- simmer gently for 20 minutes/until reduced by half
- melt the butter/chocolate/cheese/sugar
- brown the meat for 8–20 minutes
- drain the pasta/the water from the pot/in a colander
- mash the potatoes/banana/avocado
Ways of cooking
- cook food/fish/meat/rice/pasta/a Persian dish
- bake (a loaf of) bread/a cake/(especially North American English) cookies/(British English) biscuits/a pie/potatoes/fish/scones/muffins
- boil cabbage/potatoes/an egg/water
- fry/deep-fry/stir-fry the chicken/vegetables
- grill meat/steak/chicken/sausages/a hot dog
- roast potatoes/peppers/meat/chicken/lamb
- sauté garlic/mushrooms/onions/potatoes/vegetables
- steam rice/vegetables/spinach/asparagus/dumplings
- toast bread/nuts
- microwave food/popcorn/(British English) a ready meal
Serving
- serve in a glass/on a bed of rice/with potatoes
- arrange the slices on a plate/in a layer
- carve the meat/lamb/chicken/turkey
- dress/toss a salad
- dress with/drizzle with olive oil/vinaigrette
- top with a slice of lemon/a scoop of ice cream/whipped cream/syrup
- garnish with a sprig of parsley/fresh basil leaves/lemon wedges/a slice of lime/a twist of orange
- sprinkle with salt/sugar/herbs/parsley/freshly ground black pepper
Extra Examples
- Add finely chopped parsley.
- Chop the meat into small cubes.
- I spent the day chopping up vegetables.
- Roughly chop the cabbage.
- The furniture had been chopped to pieces.
Topics Cooking and eatingb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- finely
- coarsely
- roughly
- …
preposition
- into
phrases
- chop something to pieces
See full entry
[usually passive] (informal) to suddenly stop providing or allowing something; to suddenly reduce something by a large amount synonym cut
- be chopped Their training courses are to be chopped.
- be chopped from something to something The share price was chopped from 50 pence to 20 pence.
chop somebody/something to hit somebody/something downwards with a quick, short movement
- Guzman tried to chop the ball on the ground and use his speed.

Word Originverb late Middle English: variant of chap. chop and change. late Middle English (in the sense ‘barter, exchange’): perhaps related to Old English cēap ‘bargaining, trade’; compare with chap- in chapman, pedlar.

Idioms

chop and change

(British English, informal) to keep changing your mind or what you are doing
More Like This Alliteration in idioms
Alliteration in idioms
- belt and braces
- black and blue
- born and bred
- chalk and cheese
- chop and change
- done and dusted
- down and dirty
- in dribs and drabs
- eat somebody out of house and home
- facts and figures
- fast and furious
- first and foremost
- forgive and forget
- hale and hearty
- hem and haw
- kith and kin
- mix and match
- part and parcel
- puff and pant
- to rack and ruin
- rant and rave
- risk life and limb
- short and sweet
- signed and sealed
- spic and span
- through thick and thin
- this and that
- top and tail
- tried and tested
- wax and wane

chop

noun

/tʃɒp/

/tʃɑːp/

Idioms

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[countable] a thick slice of meat with a bone attached to it, especially from a pig or sheep
- a pork/lamb chop
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- lamb
- mutton
- pork
- …
verb + chop
- eat
- have
- braise
- …
See full entry
[countable, usually singular] an act of cutting something in a quick movement downwards using an axe or a knife
- Give the mushrooms a quick chop before adding them to the pan.
[countable] an act of hitting somebody/something with the side of your hand in a quick movement downwards
- a karate chop
chops
[plural] (informal) the part of a person’s or an animal’s face around the mouth
- The dog sat licking its chops.
chops
[plural] the technical skill of an actor or a jazz or rock musician
- He has the acting chops to carry a major film.

Word Originnoun senses 1 to 3 late Middle English: variant of chap.

Idioms

be for the chop (British English, informal)

(of a person) to be likely to be dismissed from a job
- Who's next for the chop?
(of a plan, project, etc.) to be likely to be stopped or ended

bust your chops/butt/hump (doing something/to do something) (North American English, informal)

(also bust a gut British and North American English, informal, bust your ass North American English, taboo, slang)

(informal) to make a great effort to do something
- I busted my chops to get into law school.
- These guys were busting their butts on the field, trying to excel at athletics.
- It’s a problem which nobody is going to bust a gut trying to solve.
Topics Successc2

bust somebody's chops

(North American English, informal) to criticize somebody
- Your blog is great but I have to bust your chops a little over this post.

bust a gut (doing something/to do something)

(North American English also bust your butt/chops/hump, North American English, taboo, slang bust your ass)

(informal) to make a great effort to do something
- It’s a problem which nobody is going to bust a gut trying to solve.
- I busted my chops to get into law school.
- These guys were busting their butts on the field, trying to excel at athletics.
Topics Successc2

get/be given the chop (British English, informal)

(of a person) to be dismissed from a job
- The whole department has been given the chop.
(of a plan, project, etc.) to be stopped or ended
- Three more schemes have got the chop.

not much chop

(Australian English, New Zealand English, informal) not very good or useful