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chink

1
[ chingk ]
/ tʃɪŋk /
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noun
a crack, cleft, or fissure: a chink in a wall.
a narrow opening: a chink between two buildings.
verb (used with object)
to fill up chinks in.
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Origin of chink

1
1350–1400; Middle English; perhaps chine1 + -k suffix (see -ock)

Other definitions for chink (2 of 3)

chink2
[ chingk ]
/ tʃɪŋk /
verb (used with or without object)
to make, or cause to make, a short, sharp, ringing sound, as of coins or glasses striking together.
noun
a chinking sound: the chink of ice in a glass.
Slang. coin or ready cash.

Origin of chink

2
First recorded in 1565–75; imitative

Other definitions for chink (3 of 3)

Chink
[ chingk ]
/ tʃɪŋk /
noun (sometimes lowercase)Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.
a contemptuous term used to refer to a Chinese person.

Origin of Chink

1900–05; earlier Chinkie apparently alteration of China, Chinese by association with chink1 (from the stereotypical Western image of Chinese as narrow-eyed); see -ie
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to chink

crevice, fissure, aperture, cleft, crack, cut, gap, hole, rift, slit, slot, space

How to use chink in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chink (1 of 3)

chink1
/ (tʃɪŋk) /
noun
a small narrow opening, such as a fissure or crack
chink in one's armour a small but fatal weakness
verb
(tr) mainly US and Canadian to fill up or make cracks in

Derived forms of chink

chinky, adjective

Word Origin for chink

C16: perhaps variant of earlier chine, from Old English cine crack; related to Middle Dutch kene, Danish kin

British Dictionary definitions for chink (2 of 3)

chink2
/ (tʃɪŋk) /
verb
to make or cause to make a light ringing sound, as by the striking of glasses or coins
noun
such a sound

Word Origin for chink

C16: of imitative origin

British Dictionary definitions for chink (3 of 3)

Chink

taboo Chinky (ˈtʃɪŋkɪ)

/ (tʃɪŋk) /
noun, adjective plural Chinks or Chinkies
an old-fashioned and highly derogatory term for Chinese

Word Origin for Chink

C20: probably from Chinese, influenced by chink 1 (referring to the characteristic shape of the Chinese eye)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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