chopstick

noun

chop·​stick ˈchäp-ˌstik 

plural chopsticks

: one of a pair of slender sticks (as of wood or plastic) held between the thumb and fingers and used to lift food to the mouth

Never spear food with a chopstick! If you're having trouble picking up your food, a spoon is your plan B.

—Laura Barry

—usually used in plural

To eat rice, both etiquette and practicality dictate that you use chopsticks to pick up a morsel of meat, fish, or whatever …; position it over the rice bowl, allowing its juices or sauce to drip into the rice; eat the morsel; then shovel some rice into your mouth with the chopsticks.

—Saveur

"… I do get uncomfortable when people use chopsticks for every Asian food. Traditionally, I may use chopsticks when my food is served in a soup bowl with noodles or rice, but we often use forks and spoons for our dishes. …"

—Darrell Loo, quoted in Feast

Illustration of chopstick

Examples of chopstick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An hour or so later, after finishing the half-time analysis on Ipswich-Liverpool, Mustoe is eating sushi while making a tactical point with one of his chopsticks. —Stuart James, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024

But the jaw-dropping first stage capture back at the launch pad, using pincer-like arms more familiarly known as chopsticks, was the clear highlight of the giant rocket's fifth test flight. —William Harwood, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2024

Their testing was methodical almost to the point of compulsion: Perfecting rice that could withstand the delivery process, in order to avoid soggy or mushy rice, or rice that crumbles beneath the pinch of fingers or chopsticks, took precision. —Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024

Poke a pencil, chopstick or wooden skewer vertically into the center of the circular base from below. —Charlotte Hu, Scientific American, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Chinese Pidgin English chop fast + English stick

First Known Use

1699, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

chopstick

noun

chop·​stick ˈchäp-ˌstik 

: one of a pair of slender sticks used chiefly in Asian countries to lift food to the mouth