chomping
Noisily working jaws
Chomping is chewing or biting down on something with noisy, vigorous movements.
It often suggests impatience or restlessness, as in the expression chomping at the bit, where a horse bites impatiently at its harness while waiting to run.
This phrase extends to people eager to begin something: The team was chomping at the bit to start the project.
Chomping is a variant of champing, with chomping now more common in American English.
chewing
Crushing food orally
gnawing · nibbling · savoring · gulping · gobbling · devouring · swallowing · feasting · snacking · grazing
gnawing
Persistent biting action
bite · grip · fangs · incisors · canines · molars · snap · crunch · nibble · munch
- eatingchewing, biting, swallowing, nibbling, munching
- chewingmastication, chewing, gnawing, grinding, biting
- mouth actionsbite, biting, chewing, chew, swallowing
- Pac-ManPac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Clyde, ghosts, maze
- jaw actionschewing, clenching, opening, closing, biting
- mouth functionschewing, biting, swallowing, licking, sucking
chompingnibbling
Eating in small bites
picking at · pecking at · sipping · savoring · tasting
chompingfasting
Deliberate food avoidance
starving · abstaining · hesitating · refraining · going hungry
- chomping at the bitEager and impatient