chip in
Britishverb
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to contribute (money, time, etc) to a cause or fund
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(intr) to interpose a remark or interrupt with a remark
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Contribute money, help, or advice, as in If we all chip in we'll have enough to buy a suitable gift , or Everyone chipped in with ideas for the baby shower . Mark Twain used this term in Roughing It (1872): “I'll be there and chip in and help, too.” [Mid-1800s]
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In poker and other games, to put up chips or money as one's bet. For example, I'll chip in another hundred but that's my limit or, as Bret Harte put it in Gabriel Conroy (1876): “You've jest cut up thet rough with my higher emotions, there ain't enough left to chip in on a ten-cent ante.” [Mid-1800s]
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.
Cox had expected to have three horses in the Derby but the barn was hit with some bad news on Thursday morning, when Fulleffort was scratched due to a chip in his left hind ankle.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
The Daily Racing Form, which first reported the news, said Fulleffort has a chip in his left hind ankle.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Viewers chip in to pay for his airfare and lodging.
From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026
Lai added that the United States did not need to "to frame Taiwan as a bargaining chip in any discussions with China".
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026
“I’m the only legal driver,” she kept pointing out, “and besides, you and Daniel never chip in for gas.”
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
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.
