Other forms: chewier; chewiest
Chewy things have a springy quality when you grind them between your teeth. When you get braces, you have to avoid chewy foods like hard bagels and sticky toffee.
Chewy things really give your jaws a workout when you eat them. Foods as varied as pizza crusts, overcooked meat, and dried apricots all have one thing in common: You have to chew them well before swallowing, and there's a firmness or stickiness between your teeth as you eat. Chewy comes from chew and its Old English root, ceowan.