chink

1
[ chingk ]
See synonyms for chink on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a crack, cleft, or fissure: a chink in a wall.

  2. a narrow opening: a chink between two buildings.

verb (used with object)
  1. to fill up chinks in.

Origin of chink

1
1350–1400; Middle English; perhaps chine1 + -k suffix (see -ock)

Other words for chink

Words Nearby chink

Other definitions for chink (2 of 3)

chink2
[ chingk ]

verb (used with or without object)
  1. to make, or cause to make, a short, sharp, ringing sound, as of coins or glasses striking together.

noun
  1. a chinking sound: the chink of ice in a glass.

  2. Slang. coin or ready cash.

Origin of chink

2
First recorded in 1565–75; imitative

Other definitions for Chink (3 of 3)

Chink
[ chingk ]

noun(sometimes lowercase)Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.
  1. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Chinese person.

Origin of Chink

3
1900–05; earlier Chinkie apparently alteration of China, Chinese by association with chink1 (from the stereotypical Western image of Chinese as narrow-eyed); see -ie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chink in a sentence

  • According to Skeat jingle, “a frequentative verb from the base jink,” is allied to chink, and chink is “an imitative word”.

    Archaic England | Harold Bayley

British Dictionary definitions for chink (1 of 3)

chink1

/ (tʃɪŋk) /


noun
  1. a small narrow opening, such as a fissure or crack

  2. chink in one's armour a small but fatal weakness

verb
  1. (tr) mainly US and Canadian to fill up or make cracks in

Origin of chink

1
C16: perhaps variant of earlier chine, from Old English cine crack; related to Middle Dutch kene, Danish kin

Derived forms of chink

  • chinky, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for chink (2 of 3)

chink2

/ (tʃɪŋk) /


verb
  1. to make or cause to make a light ringing sound, as by the striking of glasses or coins

noun
  1. such a sound

Origin of chink

2
C16: of imitative origin

British Dictionary definitions for Chink (3 of 3)

Chink

taboo Chinky (ˈtʃɪŋkɪ)

/ (tʃɪŋk) /


noun, adjectiveplural Chinks or Chinkies
  1. an old-fashioned and highly derogatory term for Chinese

Origin of Chink

3
C20: probably from Chinese, influenced by chink 1 (referring to the characteristic shape of the Chinese eye)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012