chaw
A wad of chewing tobacco in the mouth.
Also called chew, quid.
Updated September 21, 2026
chaw pronunciation
/CHAW/
Meaning
Among rural Southern and Appalachian speakers, a chaw is the plug or loose chew you park in your jaw. You can chaw as a verb too, meaning chew that tobacco rough and steady. It is porch, truck-cab, and ball-field talk more than store-label talk.
How folks use it
- “He stuck a chaw in his cheek and spit off the porch.”
- “Don't talk with that chaw in your mouth, I can't understand you.”
Origin and etymology
Chaw is an old phonetic variant of chew, recorded as a verb by the early 1500s. The noun for something chewed, especially a tobacco quid, shows up by 1709. Bartlett's 1859 Dictionary of Americanisms already tagged chaw as rough, everyday speech. In redneck country it stuck hard to chewing tobacco.
Frequently asked questions
Is chaw the same as dip?
Close cousins. Chaw usually means a chew or plug of tobacco. Dip more often means moist snuff tucked under the lip. Plenty of folks mix the words anyway.