What does chivied mean?
Chivied is the past tense of the informal verb chivy (also spelled chivvy), meaning to pester, harass, or hustle someone with persistent urging. To be chivied is to be hurried or badgered along by someone who will not let up — a parent chivying children out the door to school, an editor chivying a late writer toward a deadline, or a dog chivying sheep across a field. The word is chiefly British and carries a bustling, faintly comic tone: it implies energetic nagging rather than serious mistreatment. It can also mean simply to chase. A useful word for describing that familiar pressure of being pushed along by someone impatient for action, it pairs naturally with prepositions such as "along" and "into." Its double-v variant, chivvied, appears just as often in print as the single-v form, so writers may choose either.
verbPast tense of "chivy": to harass, pester, or chase someone persistently; to hurry someone along with repeated urging.
- To harass or pester someone persistently with demands or urging.
- To chase or pursue someone or something.
"The reporters chivied the minister for a statement all afternoon."
"His editor chivied him relentlessly until the article was finally filed."
"Shepherds chivied the stray sheep back toward the fold."
This little word of harassment likely traces back to 'Chevy Chase' — not the actor, but an old English ballad about a border chase.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chivied
Chivy arose in the nineteenth century as a variant of "chevy," meaning to chase, which itself derives from "Chevy Chase," the name of a celebrated English ballad recounting a famous pursuit in the Cheviot Hills on the Anglo-Scottish border. Over time the verb came to mean not only chasing but also pestering or hustling someone. Related forms include chivvy, chivvied, and the noun chivy meaning a chase.
Related word forms
How chivied is actually used
Informal and chiefly British in flavor, though understood in American English. The spelling "chivvied" (double v) is equally common. It carries a mildly comic, bustling connotation rather than a serious one — being chivied suggests busy nagging more than genuine persecution.
Easily confused with chivied
"Chided" means to scold or reprove verbally, whereas "chivied" means to pester, chase, or hustle someone persistently.