Library / English Dictionary

MASTICATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth

Example:

The cows were masticating the grass

Synonyms:

chew; jaw; manducate; masticate

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Hypernyms (to "masticate" is one way to...):

grate; grind (make a grating or grinding sound by rubbing together)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "masticate"):

champ; chomp (chew noisily)

champ (chafe at the bit, like horses)

gum; mumble (grind with the gums; chew without teeth and with great difficulty)

chaw (chew without swallowing)

crunch; munch (chew noisily)

gnaw (bite or chew on with the teeth)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

mastication (biting and grinding food in your mouth so it becomes soft enough to swallow)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Grind and knead

Example:

masticate rubber

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "masticate" is one way to...):

knead; work (make uniform)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Credits