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clink
1[ klingk ]
/ klɪŋk /
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verb (used with or without object)
to make or cause to make a light, sharp, ringing sound: The coins clinked together. He clinked the fork against a glass.
noun
a clinking sound.
Metallurgy. a small crack in a steel ingot resulting from uneven expanding or contracting.
a pointed steel bar for breaking up road surfaces.
Archaic. a rhyme; jingle.
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Origin of clink
11275–1325; Middle English clinken, perhaps <Middle Dutch clinken to sound, ring, resound
Words nearby clink
Other definitions for clink (2 of 2)
clink2
[ klingk ]
/ klɪŋk /
noun Slang.
a prison; jail; lockup.
Origin of clink
21505–15; after Clink, name of prison in Southwark, London, perhaps <Dutch klink door-latch
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use clink in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for clink (1 of 2)
clink1
/ (klɪŋk) /
verb
to make or cause to make a light and sharply ringing sound
noun
a light and sharply ringing sound
British a pointed steel tool used for breaking up the surface of a road before it is repaired
Word Origin for clink
C14: perhaps from Middle Dutch klinken; related to Old Low German chlanch, German Klang sound
British Dictionary definitions for clink (2 of 2)
Word Origin for clink
C16: after Clink, name of a prison in Southwark, London
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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