chivvy

Plural: chivvies

Verb

Verb Forms: chivvied, chivvying, chivvies

To repeatedly urge or harass someone to do something.
annoy continually or chronically
To coerce or hurry along, as by persistent request.
To subject to harassment or verbal abuse.
To sneak up on or rapidly approach.
To pursue as in a hunt.

Noun

Something that encourages one to act; a goad, a spur.

Examples

The player tried to chivvy their opponent into making a hasty move, hoping for a mistake.
to chivvy the fox

Origin / Etymology

From chivy, chevy (“to chase; to race, scamper”), from chivy, chevy (“a chase, hunt, pursuit”), probably from the title of The Ballad of Chevy Chase, first published in The Complaynt of Scotland (1549); the ballad is about a hunt taking place on a chase (“large country estate where game may be hunted”) in the Cheviot Hills between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders, and is thought to allude to the Battle of Otterburn in 1388.

Synonyms

beset, chevvy, chevy, chivy, harass, harry, hassle, molest, plague, provoke, chase, hunt

Scrabble Score: 20

chivvy: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
chivvy: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
chivvy: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 21

chivvy: valid Words With Friends Word