chi ck|en feed also chickenfeed N‑UNCOUNT If you think that an amount of money is so small it is hardly worth having or considering, you can say that it is chicken feed . □ I was making a million a year, but that's chicken feed in the pop business.
chicken|pox /tʃ I k I npɒks/ also chicken pox N‑UNCOUNT Chickenpox is a disease which gives you a high temperature and red spots that itch.
chi ck|en wire N‑UNCOUNT Chicken wire is a type of thin wire netting.
chi ck flick (chick flicks ) N‑COUNT A chick flick is a romantic film that is not very serious and is intended to appeal to women. [INFORMAL ]
chi ck lit N‑UNCOUNT Chick lit is modern fiction about the lives and romantic problems of young women, usually written by young women. [INFORMAL ]
chick|pea /tʃ I kpiː/ (chickpeas ) also chick pea N‑COUNT [usu pl] Chickpeas are hard round seeds that look like pale-brown peas. They can be cooked and eaten.
chick|weed /tʃ I kwiːd/ N‑UNCOUNT Chickweed is a plant with small leaves and white flowers which grows close to the ground.
chico|ry /tʃ I kəri/ N‑UNCOUNT Chicory is a plant with crunchy bitter-tasting leaves. It is eaten in salads, and its roots are sometimes used instead of coffee.
chide /tʃa I d/ (chides , chiding , chided ) VERB If you chide someone, you speak to them angrily because they have done something wicked or foolish. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ [V n + for/about ] Cross chided himself for worrying. □ [V n] He gently chided the two women.
chief ◆◆◆ /tʃiː f/ (chiefs )
1 N‑COUNT The chief of an organization is the person who is in charge of it. □ …a commission appointed by the police chief. □ [+ of ] …Putin's chief of security.
2 N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE The chief of a tribe is its leader. □ [+ of ] …Sitting Bull, chief of the Sioux tribes of the Great Plains.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] Chief is used in the job titles of the most senior worker or workers of a particular kind in an organization. □ …the chief test pilot.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] The chief cause, part, or member of something is the most important one. □ Financial stress is well established as a chief reason for divorce. □ The job went to one of his chief rivals. SYNONYMS chief ADJ 4
primary: That's the primary reason the company's share price has held up so well.
leading: Britain's future as a leading industrial nation depends on investment.
main: What are the main differences and similarities between them?
prime: Political stability, meanwhile, will be a prime concern.
principaclass="underline" …the country's principal source of foreign exchange earnings.
Chie f Co n|sta|ble (Chief Constables ) N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE A Chief Constable is the officer who is in charge of the police force in a particular county or area in Britain.
chie f ex|e cu|tive o f|fic|er (chief executive officers ) N‑COUNT The chief executive officer of a company is the person who has overall responsibility for the management of that company. The abbreviation CEO is often used. [BUSINESS ]
Chie f Ju s|tice (Chief Justices ) N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE A Chief Justice is the most important judge of a court of law, especially a supreme court.
chief|ly /tʃiː fli/ ADV [ADV with v] You use chiefly to indicate that a particular reason, emotion, method, or feature is the main or most important one. □ He joined the consular service, chiefly because this was one of the few job vacancies.
Chie f of Sta ff (Chiefs of Staff ) N‑COUNT The Chiefs of Staff are the most senior officers in each service of the armed forces.
chief|tain /tʃiː ftən/ (chieftains ) N‑COUNT A chieftain is the leader of a tribe. □ …the legendary British chieftain, King Arthur.
chif|fon /ʃ I fɒn, [AM ] ʃ I fɑː n/ (chiffons ) N‑VAR Chiffon is a kind of very thin silk or nylon cloth that you can see through. □ …floaty chiffon skirts.
chi|gnon /ʃiː njɒn, [AM ] ʃiːnjɑː n/ (chignons ) N‑COUNT A chignon is a knot of hair worn at the back of a woman's head.
Chi|hua|hua /tʃ I wɑː wɑː/ (Chihuahuas ) also chihuahua N‑COUNT A Chihuahua is a very small dog with short hair.
chil|blain /tʃ I lble I n/ (chilblains ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Chilblains are painful red swellings which people sometimes get on their fingers or toes in cold weather.
child ◆◆◆ /tʃa I ld/ (children )
1 N‑COUNT A child is a human being who is not yet an adult. □ When I was a child I lived in a country village. □ He's just a child. □ …a child of six. □ It was only suitable for children.
2 N‑COUNT Someone's children are their sons and daughters of any age. □ How are the children? □ The young couple decided to have a child.
child|bearing /tʃa I ldbeər I ŋ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Childbearing is the process of giving birth to babies.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] A woman of childbearing age is of an age when women are normally able to give birth to children.
chi ld be n|efit N‑UNCOUNT In Britain, child benefit is an amount of money paid weekly by the state to families for each of their children.
child|birth /tʃa I ldbɜː r θ/ N‑UNCOUNT Childbirth is the act of giving birth to a child. □ She died in childbirth.