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
"Finally seeing that little chick emerge from the egg was a wonderful moment for the entire team," said Keen.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Miss enough feedings and a vulnerable chick can perish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
In 2023, the project celebrated the first white-tailed eagle chick to be born in the wild in southern England since 1780.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The frightened chick made one small distress peep and that’s all it took.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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
A longtime pet breeder, Matson moved to Newberry Springs about nine years ago to raise ostriches and other exotic animals, selling their chicks and eggs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The chicks have had rings placed on their legs so that they can be recorded in any other areas they turn up in after leaving the nest.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Resistance at first was fierce, since the idea had never been tried and putting puffin chicks at risk seemed antithetical to the Audubon Society’s creed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Inside the door to the first house, I peered down the narrow building, but all I saw were thousands of yellow baby chicks peeping up a storm and crowding one another around the feeders.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
