(chips, chipping, chipped)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
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...
N-COUNT: usu pl
2.
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.
N-COUNT: usu pl
3.
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.
N-COUNT
4.
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.
N-COUNT: oft supp N
5.
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.
N-COUNT
6.
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.
VERB: V n, V
• chipped
They drank out of chipped mugs.
ADJ
7.
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.
N-COUNT: usu pl
8.
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...
N-COUNT
9.
10.
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.
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR
11.
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.
PHRASE
12.
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.
PHRASE: Ns inflect, usu have/with PHR