chip in

British  

verb

1. to contribute (money, time, etc) to a cause or fund

2. (intr) to interpose a remark or interrupt with a remark

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chip in Idioms  

1. 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]

2. 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]

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Example Sentences

More men than ever are taking care of their elders, and as the massive baby boomer generation gets older, everyone will have to chip in.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026

For every dollar the state spends on Medicaid, the feds chip in an additional one to nine.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

The chip in the ball will indicate which player touched the ball last, which should enable the VAR to check if a corner was the correct decision as part of new powers.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

The company also said it would see $2 billion in revenue from a new home-made chip in fiscal years 2027 and 2028 combined, twice its previous estimate.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

Finally, Matt put up his hand and said, “Why don’t you put a computer chip in the horse’s brain? Then it wouldn’t matter how many legs it had.”

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer