a member of a formerly numerous North American Indian people originally inhabiting the northern shore of the mouth of the Columbia River and the adjacent territory.
either of the two languages of the Chinook Indians.
(lowercase) a warm, dry wind that blows at intervals down the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
(lowercase) chinook salmon.
a U.S. Army cargo helicopter in service since 1962 and capable of ferrying 12 tons of supplies and troops.
a Native American people of the Pacific coast near the Columbia River
the language of this people, probably forming a separate branch of the Penutian phylum
Also called: snow eater. a warm dry southwesterly wind blowing down the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
Also called: wet chinook. a warm moist wind blowing onto the Washington and Oregon coasts from the sea
A moist, warm wind blowing from the sea in coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest.
A warm, dry wind descending from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, causing a rapid rise in temperature. These winds often melt snow quite rapidly, at times at a rate of up to a foot per hour.
See also foehn
C19: from Salish c`inuk
A chinook is a very big fish, a type of salmon that's found in the Pacific Ocean. Chinooks are also known as "king salmon." In addition to the giant salmon that's commonly fished from Alaska to California, the word chinook is also used for a particular type of wind. This meteorological chinook is a warm, dry wind that blows down from a mountain range during the end of the winter season. Both types of chinook are named for the Chinook people, a Pacific Northwest indigenous group.
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The six-hour interception operation was supported by Chinook, Merlin Mk4 and Wildcat helicopters and a maritime patrol aircraft, a Ministry of Defence statement said.
From Barron's • Jun. 14, 2026
CH-47 Chinook, Moroccan and U.S. drones, a U.S. logistics support vessel, a Moroccan Navy frigate, and Moroccan mountaineers and divers.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
This shift is particularly troubling in Southcentral Alaska, where northern pike were introduced illegally and now share habitat with Chinook and coho salmon populations that are already in decline.
From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2026
The hearings are being held after a three-year shutdown of commercial salmon fishing because of a decline in the Chinook salmon population.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026
“That Chinook that blew through yesterday will warm things up some.”
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
