chunk
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to cut, break, or form into chunks.
Chunk that wedge of cheese and put the pieces on a plate.
-
to remove a chunk or chunks from (often followed byout ).
Storms have chunked out the road.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb (used with object)
-
to toss or throw; chuck.
chunking pebbles at the barn door.
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to make or rekindle (a fire) by adding wood, coal, etc., or by stoking (sometimes followed byup ).
noun
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a thick solid piece, as of meat, wood, etc
-
a considerable amount
Etymology
Origin of chunk1
First recorded in 1685–95; nasalized variant of chuck 2
Origin of chunk2
An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; perhaps nasalized variant of chuck 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Not to mention she was raised on a chunk of Krypton so didn’t even experience super powers until her teens.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Micron shares were up 6.7% at $922.54 in premarket trading, after falling 13% on Friday as a chip-sector selloff took a chunk out of its recent enormous gains.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
Romanian officials previously refused to discuss what would happen to that money now a large chunk of the treasure had been recovered.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
But if he’s in the S&P 500, you’re purchasing a little chunk of Tesla, which makes up about 2 percent of S&P index funds, every time you put money into such a fund.
From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026
I stabbed a chunk of French toast with my fork and dragged it through the gooey syrup.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
