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

Observers see her as a potential bargaining chip in negotiations with Tehran for the release of French nationals Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who are still waiting to leave Iran.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

Viewers chip in to pay for his airfare and lodging.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

For example, an analog chip in a smartphone tells the main processor when a user is pressing the up or down button to control the volume.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 21, 2026

John Swinney said additional duties should not be used as a "bargaining chip" in discussions between trade partners.

From BBC • Jan. 18, 2026

The heavy paper curled and blackened, the flame ran upward, and only when the fire was about his fingertips did Cal drop the charred chip in the pin tray.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck