chow line

noun

: a line of people waiting to be served food

Examples of chow line in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At a chow line, volunteers served roast chicken with corn and potatoes. — E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024 All of those elements serve as something of a chow line for hungry microbes. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Sep. 2025 To re-create an authentic fighting ship experience, we were expected to play the part and move quickly through the chow line, accepting whatever fare was slopped onto our trays. — Mike Kerrigan, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2017 Working the chow line is a decades-old tradition during the holiday season for commanders in America’s military. — Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Nov. 2021 Inside the vintage cinderblock snack bar, there's a chow line for the food and vinyl records, VHS, DVDs and other memorabilia for sale. — Alicia Wallace, CNN, 13 Aug. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chow line was in 1917

Rhymes for chow line

See All Rhymes for chow line

Browse Nearby Words

chowkidar
chow line
chow mein
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chow line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chow%20line. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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