chunk
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to cut, break, or form into chunks.
Chunk that wedge of cheese and put the pieces on a plate.
-
to remove a chunk or chunks from (often followed byout ).
Storms have chunked out the road.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb (used with object)
-
to toss or throw; chuck.
chunking pebbles at the barn door.
-
to make or rekindle (a fire) by adding wood, coal, etc., or by stoking (sometimes followed byup ).
noun
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a thick solid piece, as of meat, wood, etc
-
a considerable amount
Etymology
Origin of chunk1
First recorded in 1685–95; nasalized variant of chuck 2
Origin of chunk2
An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; perhaps nasalized variant of chuck 1
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.
We lost a huge chunk of bands that were the stepping stones for where we’re at now.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
He missed a chunk of last season treating a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis and the Spurs didn’t overreact.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
But this year, climbers were hindered by a huge, unstable chunk of dangerous ice, known as a serac, which had been blocking the route from Everest Base Camp up to the peak.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
A startup led by the head of Google’s DeepMind artificial-intelligence lab is trying to use AI to accelerate the creation of new drugs — and it just raised a solid chunk of change from investors.
From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026
One fella had a fisherman’s net, and the other had a small chunk of meat.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
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.
