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

See Examples For:

chip in

The line for those ineligible for the biometric scans, including families with children younger than 12 and those without a chip in their passport, was nearly an hour long.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Others, including Thaler, said the country’s leaders could use elections as a bargaining chip in future negotiations with the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

If your house needs repairs, does your spouse chip in?

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 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

I told Henry I wanted a double scoop of mint chip in a bowl.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling