chick
Americannoun
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chicks
plural
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a young chicken or other bird.
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a child.
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Slang: Often Offensive. a term used to refer to a girl or young woman.
noun
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the young of a bird, esp of a domestic fowl
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slang a girl or young woman, esp an attractive one
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a young child: used as a term of endearment
Sensitivity
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of chick
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English chike, variant of chiken; see origin at chicken
Explanation
A chick is a baby bird, especially a just-hatched chicken. Chicks are small, yellow, and fluffy. Chick can describe most young birds, from an eagle chick to a flamingo chick, or be used more generally: "Dogs aren't allowed on the beach because of the nesting seabirds and their chicks." What most people picture when they think of a chick, though, is a newly hatched chicken, and in fact the word is a 14th century shortened form of chicken. It's also long been an informal, slightly offensive term for a young woman.
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.
See Examples For:
Amid reports of her extended hospital stay earlier this year, Applegate assured fans in April that she is a “strong chick, and I’m getting stronger and better every day.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
Two out of five pairs of eagles released by a reintroduction project successfully bred and raised young with one chick fledging from a nest in Dorset and two more in Sussex.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
A wildlife park is celebrating the hatching of the first king penguin chick in the UK since 2014.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Miss enough feedings and a vulnerable chick can perish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Frightful heard the feeble cry of her chick.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Barn owl chicks have been ringed in Purbeck for the first time to help track their movements and if the area's conservation-focused farming is working.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
The 15 chicks and one adult were ringed at nest sites across three farmland sites in a partnership between Birds of Poole Harbour, Carey Ringing Station and the National Trust.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Emperor penguins rely on stable sea ice to live, hunt and breed and their chicks can perish if they fall in freezing water before developing waterproof feathers.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Buoyed by a youthful sense of invincibility, they dared one another to leap, waiting for another to move, like emperor penguin chicks before a first arctic plunge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
They found albatross chicks, which made the most succulent stews in their hoosh pot.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
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