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• blue chip
  blue chip

  noun

  a blue-colored chip of high value.
• blue-chip
  blue-chip

  adjective

  of, relating to, or constituting a blue chip.

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

See Examples For:

blue chip blue-chip

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

The list includes a number of blue chip names dividend investors are likely familiar with, such as Exxon Mobil, yielding 3.4%; Merck, 3.7%; and Target, 4.7%.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2025

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 departures of Harrison and Fleming were mitigated by blue chip wideout Emeka Egbuka’s decision to stay.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2024

Although our novice did not improve his hand, he raised a fifty-dollar bet made by the man upon his right by a blue chip.

From Mortmain by Arthur Cheny Train

The company's notional valuation has nearly doubled since a funding round exactly a year ago, putting it within range of France's biggest blue-chip companies.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Asian and European blue-chip equity indexes largely slipped.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Not because of his five-star, blue-chip status, leaving Warren High as the second-ranked prospect in the 2023 class and top-ranked recruit out of California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Missile-making startup Castelion closed a more than $1 billion funding round co-led by private-equity giant Carlyle CG 2.13%increase; up pointing triangle Group, reflecting blue-chip firms’ growing interest in a booming corner of the defense industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

There was a natural role for a blue-chip corporation with the highest credit rating to stand in the middle of swaps and long-term options and the other risk-spawning innovations.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis