chivvy
(redirected from chivvies)Also found in: Thesaurus.
chiv·vy
or chiv·y (chĭv′ē)v. chiv·vied, chiv·vy·ing, chiv·vies or chiv·ied or chiv·y·ing or chiv·ies
v.tr.
1. To vex or harass with petty attacks: political opponents who chivvied the senator.
2. To maneuver or secure gradually: "had spent two weeks chivvying this division toward combat readiness" (Tom Clancy).
v.intr.
To scurry.
n. pl. chiv·vies or chiv·ies
1. A hunt or chase.
2. A hunting cry.
[Variant of chevy, a hunt, hunting cry, from Chevy Chase, title of a ballad about a border skirmish, from Cheviot Chase, a large unenclosed hunting tract in the Cheviot Hills.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
chiv•vy
or chiv•y
(ˈtʃɪv i)chiv•vied or chiv•ied, chiv•vy•ing or chiv•y•ing.
1. to chase; run after.
2. to harass; torment.
[1775–85; perhaps short for Chevy Chase, a 15th-century English ballad]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
chivvy
Past participle: chivvied
Gerund: chivvying
| Imperative |
|---|
| chivvy |
| chivvy |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. |  chivvy - annoy continually or chronically; "He is known to harry his staff when he is overworked"; "This man harasses his female co-workers"needle, goad - goad or provoke,as by constant criticism; "He needled her with his sarcastic remarks" annoy, devil, gravel, irritate, nark, rile, vex, nettle, rag, bother, chafe, get at, get to - cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations; "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me"; "It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves" bedevil, dun, rag, torment, frustrate, crucify - treat cruelly; "The children tormented the stuttering teacher" haze - harass by imposing humiliating or painful tasks, as in military institutions |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
chivvy
verb (Brit.) nag, annoy, plague, hound, torment, harass, hassle (informal), prod, badger, pester, breathe down someone's neck (informal), pressure (informal), bug (informal), bend someone's ear (informal) She was very assertive, endlessly chivvying her staff to work harder.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
chivvy
[ˈtʃɪvɪ] VT (Brit) → perseguir, acosarto chivvy sb into doing sth → no dejar en paz a algn hasta que hace algo
chivvy up VT + ADV [+ person] → espabilar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
chivvy
[ˈtʃɪvi] vt (British) → harcelerto chivvy sb into doing sth → harceler qn jusqu'à ce qu'il fasse qch
to chivvy sb along → presser qn
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
chivvy
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
chivvy
chivy (Am) [ˈtʃɪvɪ] vt (fam) → tormentareto chivvy sb into doing sth → tormentare qn perché faccia qc
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995