3 N‑UNCOUNT If you say that there is chemistry between two people, you mean that it is obvious they are attracted to each other or like each other very much. □ [+ between ] …the extraordinary chemistry between the two actors.
chemo /kiː moʊ/ N‑UNCOUNT Chemo is the same as chemotherapy . [INFORMAL ] □ The first time I had chemo I was quite scared.
chemo|thera|py /kiː moʊθe rəpi/ N‑UNCOUNT Chemotherapy is the treatment of disease using chemicals. It is often used in treating cancer.
che|nille /ʃəniː l/ N‑UNCOUNT Chenille is cloth or clothing made from a type of thick furry thread.
cheque /tʃe k/ (cheques ) in AM, use check 1 N‑COUNT [oft by N ] A cheque is a printed form on which you write an amount of money and who it is to be paid to. Your bank then pays the money to that person from your account. □ [+ for ] He wrote them a cheque for £10,000. □ I'd like to pay by cheque.
2 → see also blank cheque , traveller's cheque
che que book (cheque books ) The spellings chequebook , and in American English, checkbook are also used. N‑COUNT A cheque book is a book of cheques which your bank gives you so that you can pay for things by cheque.
che que|book jou r|nal|ism also cheque-book journalism in AM, use checkbook journalism N‑UNCOUNT Chequebook journalism is the practice of paying people large sums of money for information about crimes or famous people in order to get material for newspaper articles. [DISAPPROVAL ]
che que card (cheque cards ) N‑COUNT In Britain, a cheque card or a cheque guarantee card is a small plastic card given to you by your bank and which you have to show when you are paying for something by cheque or when you are cashing a cheque at another bank.
chequer|board /tʃe kə r bɔː r d/ → see checkerboard
cheq|uered /tʃe kə r d/ in AM, use checkered 1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If a person or organization has had a chequered career or history, they have had a varied past with both good and bad periods. □ He had a chequered political career spanning nearly forty years.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Something that is chequered has a pattern with squares of two or more different colours. □ …red chequered tablecloths.
cher|ish /tʃe r I ʃ/ (cherishes , cherishing , cherished )
1 VERB If you cherish something such as a hope or a pleasant memory, you keep it in your mind for a long period of time. □ [V n] The president will cherish the memory of this visit to Ohio. ● cher|ished ADJ [ADJ n] □ …the cherished dream of a world without wars.
2 VERB If you cherish someone or something, you take good care of them because you love them. □ [V n] The previous owners had cherished the house. ● cher|ished ADJ [ADJ n] □ He described the picture as his most cherished possession.
3 VERB If you cherish a right, a privilege, or a principle, you regard it as important and try hard to keep it. □ [V n] These people cherish their independence and sovereignty. ● cher|ished ADJ [ADJ n] □ Freud called into question some deeply-cherished beliefs.
che|root /ʃəruː t/ (cheroots ) N‑COUNT A cheroot is a cigar with both ends cut flat.
cher|ry /tʃe ri/ (cherries )
1 N‑COUNT Cherries are small, round fruit with red skins.
2 N‑VAR A cherry or a cherry tree is a tree that cherries grow on.
cherry-pick /tʃe rip I k/ (cherry-picks , cherry-picking , cherry-picked ) VERB If someone cherry-picks people or things, they choose the best ones from a group of them, often in a way that other people consider unfair. □ [V n] The club is in debt while others are queuing to cherry-pick their best players.
cher|ub /tʃe rəb/ (cherubs ) N‑COUNT A cherub is a kind of angel that is represented in art as a naked child with wings.
che|ru|bic /tʃəruː b I k/ ADJ If someone looks cherubic , they look sweet and innocent like a cherub. [LITERARY ]
cher|vil /tʃɜː r v I l/ N‑UNCOUNT Chervil is a herb that tastes like aniseed.
Chesh|ire cat /tʃe ʃə r kæ t/ PHRASE If someone is grinning like a Cheshire cat or like the Cheshire cat , they are smiling very widely. □ He had a grin on his face like a Cheshire Cat.
chess /tʃe s/ N‑UNCOUNT Chess is a game for two people, played on a chessboard. Each player has 16 pieces, including a king. Your aim is to move your pieces so that your opponent's king cannot escape being taken. □ …the world chess championships.
chess|board /tʃe sbɔː r d/ (chessboards ) N‑COUNT A chessboard is a square board with 64 black and white squares that is used for playing chess.
chest ◆◇◇ /tʃe st/ (chests )
1 N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Your chest is the top part of the front of your body where your ribs, lungs, and heart are. □ He crossed his arms over his chest. □ He was shot in the chest. □ He complained of chest pain.
2 N‑COUNT A chest is a large, heavy box used for storing things. □ At the very bottom of the chest were his carving tools. □ …a treasure chest. □ …a medicine chest.
3 PHRASE If you get something off your chest , you talk about something that has been worrying you. □ I feel it's done me good to get it off my chest.
che st com|pre ss|ion N‑VAR Chest compression is the act of applying pressure to someone's chest in order to help blood flow through the heart in an emergency situation. □ Give one breath of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, followed by five chest compressions.