chop off — to remove something by cutting it with a sharp tool, usually in one quick, forceful motion
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to remove something by cutting it with a sharp tool, usually in one quick, forceful motion
Pronunciation (IPA): /tʃɑp ɔːf/
Example Sentences
- My little brother tried to chop off his own hair with kitchen scissors, and now he looks like a confused sheep.
- The king ordered his soldiers to chop off the tree blocking the royal road.
- She accidentally chopped off too much of her fringe and had to wear a hat for two weeks.
chop off
VERB[/tʃɑp ɔːf/]
to remove something by cutting it with a sharp tool, usually in one quick, forceful motion
The blacksmith raised his axe and chopped off the rusted iron bar in one clean swing.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The verb 'chop' derives from Middle English, likely from an onomatopoetic origin mimicking the sound of an axe striking wood—the sharp 'chop' sound. The adverb 'off', meaning separation or removal, was subsequently combined with 'chop' to form the phrasal verb 'chop off', denoting the complete severing or detachment of something by striking.
Breakdown
chop (to strike or cut with an axe, from onomatopoeia) + off (away, separation, removal) = to sever completely by striking.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My little brother tried to chop off his own hair with kitchen scissors, and now he looks like a confused sheep.”
“The king ordered his soldiers to chop off the tree blocking the royal road.”
“She accidentally chopped off too much of her fringe and had to wear a hat for two weeks.”
“The editor chopped off the last paragraph because the article was too long.”
“In the old fairy tale, the woodcutter chopped off the wolf's tail to save the little pig.”
📚Related Words
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