champ

1 of 2

verb

champed; champing; champs

intransitive verb

1
: to make biting or gnashing movements
2
: to show impatience of delay or restraint
usually used in the phrase champing at the bit
he was champing at the bit to begin

champ

2 of 2

noun

Examples of champ in a Sentence

Verb He champed his pipe angrily. The horse was champing its bit. He champed on his pipe angrily. Noun this year's national basketball champs
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Others would champ at the bit to join him. Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 24 Mar. 2021 Will any lessons from these countries be learned in the West, where countries are several weeks behind in their outbreaks, but many governments are already champing at the bit to relax lockdowns, despite sky-high infection rates? James Griffiths, CNN, 11 May 2020
Noun
Leonardo, meanwhile, nabs his first champ with first visit on the overall radio list. Pamela Bustios, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 The surf lineup includes surfers Balaram Stack, reigning champ Cam Richards, Sam Hammer, Cassidy McClain, Rob Kelly, Pat Schmidt, Mike Gleason, Tom Ihnken, Jamie DeWitt, Logan Kamen, Cole Deveney and Audrey Iglay. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 This year, will Nadal rise up from injury to take the crown from defending champ Carlos Alcaraz? Kim Westerman, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 On the market cap charts, the champ was General Electric at $472 billion. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 San Diego, the Eastern League champs under coach Cedro Arc, finished its season at 14-3-3. San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2024 As mentioned previously, the Columbus Crew are the defending MLS champs, though Lionel Messi and Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup. Tim Chan, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2024 Travis pointed the Super Bowl champ towards a certain group of Swifties, prompting Kelce to hand out a couple of guitar picks as fans cheered for him. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 24 Feb. 2024 The three-time defending Ocean League champs also lost in last year’s Division 2 final to Patrick Henry, 2-1. Granite Hills was also a Division 2 finalist in 2014. San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'champ.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English chammen, champen

First Known Use

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of champ was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near champ

Cite this Entry

“Champ.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/champ. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

champ

1 of 2 verb
1
: to bite or chew noisily
a horse champing its bit
2
: to show impatience
usually used in the phrase champing at the bit

champ

2 of 2 noun

More from Merriam-Webster on champ

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