Meaning & use
chope
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Meanings
verbtransitiveinformalslang
To reserve a seat or place by leaving a personal item on it, especially at a food court.
Grammar: Takes an object: chope a table.
Patterns
- chope a seat
- chope something with something
She went to chope a table with a packet of tissues.
Can you chope two seats before the lunch crowd arrives?
He choped a spot near the window.
nouncountableinformalslang
The act of reserving a seat or spot by leaving an item on it.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase a chope: a tissue chope.
Patterns
- a tissue chope
The tissue chope worked and nobody took our table.
There was a bag chope on every chair.
Word forms
| third person singular | chopes |
|---|---|
| past tense | choped |
| past participle | choped |
| -ing form | chopping |
Common combinations
- chope a seat
- I'll chope a seat while you buy the food.
- chope a table
- They choped a table for ten.
- tissue chope
- The tissue chope is a familiar sight at lunch.
- chope with a bag
- He chopes with a bag in the library.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reserve
- Reserve is the standard word for booking in advance, while chope means holding a spot by leaving an item there.
- save
- Save a seat is the general phrase, whereas chope belongs to Singapore and Malaysia.
- book
- Book usually means arranging in advance with a business, not leaving a personal item.
Opposites
Word family
- choping noun
- the practice of reserving seats with items
- choped adjective
- already reserved by this method
Commonly confused: chope or chop?
chope vs chop
Chop means to cut with a blade and is a different word, though the spelling is similar.
Practice
At a Singapore food court, what does it mean to chope a table?
Choose one answer.
To chope a table means to reserve it by leaving an item such as tissues. It has nothing to do with cooking, cleaning or paying.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chope”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.