chink
chink Lexical Profile
chink Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A narrow opening, crack, or slit, typically one that admits light or air.
"A faint beam of sunlight filtered through a narrow chink in the wooden shutters."
A vulnerable point or slight weakness in something otherwise strong or secure.
"The challenger quickly identified a chink in the reigning champion's defensive strategy."
A short, sharp ringing sound, such as that made by glasses or coins striking together.
"We heard the cheerful chink of teacups coming from the kitchen."
• verb
To make or cause to make a light, sharp, ringing sound, as of metal or glass striking together.
"The coins chinked softly in his coat pocket as he walked down the stairs."
To fill in the narrow gaps or cracks of a structure, such as between the logs of a cabin, using mortar, clay, or another sealing material.
"Before winter arrived, the settlers chinked the spaces between the pine logs with clay and moss."
Word Nuance & Usage
While "chink" is a standard and neutral word when referring to a narrow crack, a vulnerability (as in the idiom "a chink in one's armor"), or a light metallic sound, its capitalized homograph is a highly offensive ethnic slur against people of Chinese or East Asian descent.
• Rhymes for chink
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
In the sense of a crack or cleft, the word dates to the 16th century as a modification of Middle English "chine", from Old English "cine" (fissure). The auditory sense of a sharp, ringing sound originated independently as an imitative word.