a tough, twilled cotton cloth used for uniforms, sports clothes, etc.
Usually chinos trousers made of this material.
An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; of uncertain origin
From Mexican Spanish; further etymology disputed
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
WSJ | Buy Side: See our review of the chino shorts one Buy Side editor wears all summer long.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Hace tres años, Lenovo, el fabricante chino de computadoras, abrió una nueva fábrica en Monterrey dedicada a fabricar servidores, los dispositivos que almacenan datos para la computación en la nube.
From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2023
Thus, exaggeratedly oversize berets mixed with clashing-color prints on silk, standout loose wool coats in maize, printed silk neck scarves, chunky sheeny leather loafers, and high-waisted chino pants.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 23, 2022
Johnnie Boden turned up for our chat in a smart polo shirt and chino shorts at his open plan HQ, littered with bright velvet coloured sofas.
From BBC • Sep. 9, 2021
He wore a plaid button-down shirt with chino shorts, and I thought about how long it had been since he’d worn clothes that could not be classified as either pajamas or underwear.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
