blue chip

¹ American  

noun

1. Chiefly Poker. a blue-colored chip of high value.

2. a common stock issued by a major company that has financial strength, stability against fluctuations, and a good record of dividend payments: regarded as a low-risk investment.

3. a secure and valuable item or property held in reserve.

   The airfield was a blue chip in the struggle for military supremacy.

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blue-chip ² American  

[bloo-chip] / ˈbluˌtʃɪp /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or constituting a blue chip.

2. having outstanding or exemplary qualities within a specified category; leading.

   a group of blue-chip scientists; blue-chip stock.

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blue chip British  

noun

1. a gambling chip with the highest value

2. finance

   1. a stock considered reliable with respect to both dividend income and capital value

   2. ( as modifier )

      a blue-chip company

3. (modifier) denoting something considered to be a valuable asset

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Etymology

Origin of blue chip¹

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Origin of blue-chip²

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Sunday was undeniably great theater, two bombastic blue chip programs, Final Four again on the line.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Smaller companies tend to trade at discounts to blue chip stocks, but the gap is now wider than usual.

From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026

Some of the leaders in the space including San Francisco-based startups such as ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as blue chip tech giants including Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and Meta.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2025

The company has already sold the first 1500 aircraft to blue chip aerospace firms and plans to achieve full CAA certification by 2028 - giving its aircraft permission to fly.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2024

Once a man dropped dead in a poker game when he had staked his last blue chip and drawn a royal flush.

From Rim o' the World by Fischer, Anton Otto