CHIP AT

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Meaning:

Engrave or cut by chipping away at a surface

Example:

carve one's name into the bark

Synonyms:

carve; chip at

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "chip at" is one way to...):

cut (separate with or as if with an instrument)

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

chisel (carve with a chisel)

engrave; grave; inscribe; scratch (carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface)

engrave; etch (carve or cut a design or letters into)

Sentence frames:

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

Also:

chip (break a small piece off from)