French word

mâcher

Pronunciation

IPA/maʃe/

Meaning

  • verbchew

Example

Je mâche un chewing-gum.

I am chewing a piece of gum.

Illustration for mâcher (chew)

More examples

Il mâche lentement sa nourriture pour mieux digérer.

He chews his food slowly to digest it better.

Core concept

Teeth and jaw steadily work a bite into smaller pieces before swallowing.

Common phrases

  • mâcher un chewing-gum

    chew gum

  • mâcher du pain

    chew bread

Similar words

mordre: Biting something firmly with the teeth.
grignoter: Eating food slowly by taking small bites.
croquer: Biting food so that it makes a crisp sound or has a crunchy texture.

Definition in French

Placer un aliment entre les dents et le broyer par les mouvements de la mâchoire jusqu'à obtenir des morceaux plus petits en vue de l'avaler.

Word origin

French mâcher descends through Old French machier from Latin masticare.

Usage tips

  • Mâcher normally takes a direct object, while mâcher du chewing-gum treats gum as a substance and un chewing-gum as one piece.

Other meanings

  • munchverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word