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Synonyms

chink

1 American  
[chingk] / tʃɪŋk /

noun

  1. a crack, cleft, or fissure.

    a chink in a wall.
    Synonyms:
    cut, rent, breach

  2. a narrow opening.

    a chink between two buildings.

verb (used with object)

  1. to fill up chinks in.

chink 2 American  
[chingk] / tʃɪŋk /

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to make, or cause to make, a short, sharp, ringing sound, as of coins or glasses striking together.

noun

  1. a chinking sound.

    the chink of ice in a glass.

  2. Slang. coin or ready cash.

Chink 3 American  
[chingk] / tʃɪŋk /

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

  1. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Chinese person.

chink 1 British  
/ tʃɪŋk /

noun

  1. a small narrow opening, such as a fissure or crack

  2. a small but fatal weakness

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to fill up or make cracks in

"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
chink 2 British  
/ tʃɪŋk /

verb

  1. to make or cause to make a light ringing sound, as by the striking of glasses or coins

"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

noun

  1. such a sound

"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
Chink 3 British  
/ ˈtʃɪŋkɪ, tʃɪŋk /

noun

  1. an old-fashioned and highly derogatory term for Chinese

"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

Other Word Forms

  • chinky adjective

Etymology

Origin of chink1

1350–1400; Middle English; perhaps chine 1 + -k suffix ( -ock )

Origin of chink2

First recorded in 1565–75; imitative

Origin of Chink3

1900–05; earlier Chinkie apparently alteration of China, Chinese by association with chink 1 (from the stereotypical Western image of Chinese as narrow-eyed); -ie

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.

"They've let three lads out on similar appeals at similar ages, and we think that these five men might be able to fit into those chinks, and they might broaden them," she said.

From BBC

It was a night in which teams in the powerful Trinity League showed a chink in their armor.

From Los Angeles Times

McLaren's one chink of light in the race was the pit stops.

From BBC

The showbiz anecdotes in the documentary provide chinks of light in an otherwise tragic story about a man who lost his career in an instant.

From BBC

However, there were a few potential chinks in Australia's armour with regards to their batting.

From BBC

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.