- chip (away) at something
- chip (away) at somethingto break off tiny pieces of something little by little. •
The mason chipped away at the bricks.
•He chipped at the block of marble gently.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
chip (away) at something
Look at other dictionaries:
chip away at something — ˌchip aˈway at sth derived to keep breaking small pieces off sth • He was chipping away at the stone. • (figurative) They chipped away at the power of the government (= gradually made it weaker) … Useful english dictionary
chip away at — 1) PHRASAL VERB 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. [V P P n] Instead of an outright coup attempt, the rebels want to chip away at her… … English dictionary
chip away — phrasal verb [intransitive/transitive] Word forms chip away : present tense I/you/we/they chip away he/she/it chips away present participle chipping away past tense chipped away past participle chipped away 1) to gradually make something weaker,… … English dictionary
chip away — verb remove or withdraw gradually: These new customs are chipping away at the quality of life • Syn: ↑chip away at • Hypernyms: ↑remove, ↑take, ↑take away, ↑withdraw • Verb Frames … Useful english dictionary
chip away at — verb remove or withdraw gradually: These new customs are chipping away at the quality of life • Syn: ↑chip away • Hypernyms: ↑remove, ↑take, ↑take away, ↑withdraw • Verb Frames: Somebo … Useful english dictionary
chip away at — gradually and relentlessly make (something) smaller or weaker: → chip … English new terms dictionary
chip — chip1 W3S2 [tʃıp] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(food)¦ 2¦(computer)¦ 3¦(piece)¦ 4¦(mark)¦ 5 have a chip on your shoulder 6 when the chips are down 7 be a chip off the old block 8¦(game)¦ 9¦(sport)¦ … Dictionary of contemporary English
chip — ► NOUN 1) a small, thin piece removed in the course of cutting or breaking a hard material. 2) a blemish left by the removal of such a piece. 3) chiefly Brit. a long rectangular piece of deep fried potato. 4) (also potato chip) chiefly N. Amer. a … English terms dictionary
chip — chip1 [ tʃıp ] noun count ** ▸ 1 piece of potato ▸ 2 in computers ▸ 3 small piece ▸ 4 in games for money ▸ 5 in sport ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) usually plural AMERICAN a very thin round piece of potato cooked in hot oil and eaten cold. British crisp:… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
chip — 1 /tSIp/ noun (C) 1 MARK a small hole or mark on a plate, cup etc where a piece has broken off (+ in): There s a chip in this plate. 2 PIECE a small piece of wood, stone, metal etc that has broken off something: Wood chips covered the floor of… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
chip — [[t]tʃɪ̱p[/t]] ♦♦♦ 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] I had fish and chips in a cafe... Frank Browne shook more sauce over his chips.… … English dictionary
