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clink

1
[ klingk ]
/ klɪŋk /
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See synonyms for: clink / clinking on Thesaurus.com

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

1
1275–1325; Middle English clinken, perhaps <Middle Dutch clinken to sound, ring, resound

Other definitions for clink (2 of 2)

clink2
[ klingk ]
/ klɪŋk /

noun Slang.
a prison; jail; lockup.

Origin of clink

2
1505–15; 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)

clink2
/ (klɪŋk) /

noun
a slang word for prison

Word Origin for clink

C16: after Clink, name of a prison in Southwark, London
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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