chick

American  

[chik] / tʃɪk /

noun

1. a young chicken or other bird.

2. a child.

3. Slang: Often Offensive. a term used to refer to a girl or young woman.

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chick British  

/ tʃɪk /

noun

1. the young of a bird, esp of a domestic fowl

2. slang a girl or young woman, esp an attractive one

3. a young child: used as a term of endearment

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Sensitive Note

As a term used to refer to a young woman, chick is slightly dated. Originally it was perceived as insulting because of the perception that it infantilized women. Now the word has been embraced by some women as a positive term of self-reference and an expression of camaraderie. When used as a modifier, as in chick flick and chick lit, its meaning is not restricted to young women and its use is not offensive.

Etymology

Origin of chick

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English chike, variant of chiken; chicken

Example Sentences

By the fall of 2011, the first bald eagle chick, named Jackie, hatched in the Big Bear Valley to parents Ricky and Lucy.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026

Extinction was projected only in hypothetical scenarios where very low juvenile survival occurred, with around 20% failing to reach adulthood, combined with extremely poor reproduction limited to a maximum of one chick per pair.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026

Each chick has to be weighed, measured and tagged before being fitted with a GPS backpack which allows experts to track them.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2025

"Be still my freaked out heart," another wrote as one chick perched close to the edge of the ledge.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

A few years before, it had taken her three days to dispose of the Easter chick she had found dead on the sawdust in the bottom of her wastebasket.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Related Words

• gal
• girl
• woman
• young woman