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Definition of chunking

chunking

/ˈtʃʌŋ.kɪŋ/
chunk · ing

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chunking Lexical Profile

chunking Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A cognitive process or memory strategy in which individual pieces of information are grouped together into larger, meaningful units to improve short-term retention and recall.

Example

"Formatting a ten-digit phone number with hyphens is an everyday example of chunking."


2

In computing and natural language processing, the division of a continuous stream of data or text into smaller, manageable segments or syntactically correlated blocks of words.

Example

"The search algorithm uses text chunking to identify noun phrases before indexing the document."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for chunking

• Rhymes for chunking

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in its psychological sense by American cognitive psychologist George A. Miller in his influential 1956 paper on the capacity of short-term memory, derived from the verb 'chunk' (a probable alteration of 'chuck').

Cite this Entry


Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Chunking. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/chunking
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