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Glite Dictionary
to chop the wood

to chop the wood

12 1.8
To cut wood into pieces for firewood
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : partir leña
  • He spent the afternoon in the yard, ready to chop the wood into smaller pieces.
  • chopping wood with an axe
  • chopping wood and lighting a fire
  • man chopping wood

Examples

  • This afternoon I'm going out to chop wood in the finger-biting cold.

    Academic text (2009)

  • What limited his use and diminished his enjoyment of the stove was the need to chop wood for it.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • I looked at the boys chopping the wood.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • In broad daylight, they came to a house where a man was chopping wood.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Then he stated to chop some more wood to stack in the woodshed!

    Blog text (10)

  • I'm letting you out early because you'll have to chop wood this afternoon.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Melanie's papa is chopping wood for the sweat house.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I had hoped to be settled somewhere before the snows fell, if not grinding lenses, then chopping wood or tending cattle, for the winters of the northern territories are no easier than those of Velonya.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • After finishing breakfast, I went outside to chop the wood for the fireplace.

  • In the winter, we need to chop the wood to keep the house warm.

Synonyms

to chop
vsto chop the wood
193 1.0

To cut something into pieces using a sharp tool like a knife or axe

is specifically about cutting pieces for burning as fuel
to saw
vsto chop the wood
85 1.0

To cut wood using a tool with a thin toothed blade

relies on sharp blows and fuel preparation rather than toothed cutting
to chop up
vsto chop the wood
56 1.9

To cut something into smaller pieces by sharp blows again and again with a knife or axe

is focused on preparing pieces for burning rather than general cutting
to cut up
vsto chop the wood
32 1.1

Make something into smaller pieces using scissors or a knife

is specifically aimed at creating pieces for burning rather than any cutting
split
vsto chop the wood
5 4.2

Cut lengthwise along the grain, as in wood

is broader, including making fuel pieces not only lengthwise splitting
to saw wood
vsto chop the wood
1 2.6

Cut wood with a saw

uses striking tools rather than a toothed blade to make fuel pieces

How Small

to chop up
56 1.9
to chop the wood
12 1.8
split
5 4.2

Surface Forms

chop the wood infinitive
chopped the wood past
chopped the wood past participle
chopping the wood present participle
chops the wood third person singular

Morphology

chop + the + wood

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from the verb 'chop' (to cut/strike with an axe or knife) applied to the noun 'wood' (timber); the definite article 'the' does not change the semantic transparency. This is a straightforward verb + object construction common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand the MWE.

Etymology

The phrase chop the wood comes from the everyday task of using an axe to chop wood, splitting logs into small pieces for a fire. Because people did this to make fuel and stay warm, chop the wood now means 'to cut wood into pieces for a fire'.