chunk
1 Americannoun
-
chunks
plural
verb (used with object)
-
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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Waves from a tropical storm later that year broke off a chunk of rock from the bottom of the arch.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
San Francisco is playing at a high level with George Kittle and Brock Purdy generating chunk plays.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
A big chunk would emerge from demand for rocket launches, the documents say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Healthcare makes up another chunk of the fund, which owns a number of managed-care companies and drug distributors in the U.S. and drug companies in Europe.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
She dropped like a chunk of fossilized dinosaur bone.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
It is too early to know how this plan will play out — the new bus lane curbs on Clark show missing chunks already from drivers that likely didn’t see them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Large chunks of concrete could be seen scattered around and inside the collapsed area, while orange traffic cones cordoned off the site as workers surveyed the damage.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
His holdings include sizable chunks of Lululemon, Amer Sports AS 2.41%increase; up pointing triangle and a real-estate company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
But usually these are smaller chunks which temporarily block the rivers, and are easily flushed out, he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
One scoop of Earl Grey mixed with chunks of halwa, a few pistachio pieces, with a sprinkle of coconut and chocolate flakes on top.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
