clink

¹ American  

[klingk] / klɪŋk /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or cause to make a light, sharp, ringing sound.

   The coins clinked together. He clinked the fork against a glass.

---

noun

1. a clinking sound.

2. Metallurgy. a small crack in a steel ingot resulting from uneven expanding or contracting.

3. a pointed steel bar for breaking up road surfaces.

4. Archaic. a rhyme; jingle.

clink ² American  

[klingk] / klɪŋk /

noun

Slang.

1. a prison; jail; lockup.

---

clink ¹ British  

/ klɪŋk /

verb

1. to make or cause to make a light and sharply ringing sound

---

noun

1. a light and sharply ringing sound

2. a pointed steel tool used for breaking up the surface of a road before it is repaired

clink ² British  

/ klɪŋk /

noun

1. a slang word for prison

---

Etymology

Origin of clink¹

1275–1325; Middle English clinken, perhaps < Middle Dutch clinken to sound, ring, resound

Origin of clink²

1505–15; after Clink, name of prison in Southwark, London, perhaps < Dutch klink door-latch

Example Sentences

In July 1987, Gil, then 26 years old, donned a T-shirt with the phrase “Justice is a constant struggle” and set off for the clink in Kansas.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

I could hear laughter in the background, the clink of glasses.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Against a backdrop of neon lights and the clink of casino chips, the Nevada caucuses were once a colourful and important stop in the race to become the presidential nominee.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2024

Or maybe the appetizers are the whole of it, a nice chance to clink glasses with the neighbors or some old friends passing through town.

From Washington Times • Nov. 30, 2023

Travis’s father spit in his can with a little clink.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner