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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The Chicago Bears, unofficial offseason champs more than once in recent years, could be pushing for another mythical crown. Mike Sando, New York Times, 2 May 2025 Reigning girls state champ Seminole (8-1) is one of the entries, as is 2024 boys champ Miami Gulliver. Games will be played Thursday and Friday after school and all day Saturday. Buddy Collings, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
Noun
Freire defended his featherweight crown three times as a two-division champ before losing a July 2021 submission to A.J. McKee. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025 After asking the tennis champ about his plans to celebrate and wind down, as well as his elbow injury, Sinner then took the three tennis balls that Charlotte, 10, was holding and began to sign them. Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 14 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for champ

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Champ.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/champ. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.

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

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