dink
dink Lexical Profile
dink Game Scores & Validity
• noun
In sports such as pickleball, tennis, or volleyball, a softly hit shot that arcs just over the net and drops sharply into the opponent's forecourt.
"She won the rally with a well-placed dink into the kitchen that her opponent could not reach in time."
A partner in a married or cohabiting couple in which both partners earn an income and have no children (often capitalized as DINK, from 'dual income, no kids').
"Marketing agencies often target dinks for luxury travel packages and high-end dining experiences."
North American An foolish, irritating, or contemptible person (informal).
"He felt like a complete dink after realizing he had locked his keys inside the running car."
• verb
To hit or chip a ball softly so that it travels a short distance or drops lightly over an obstacle or net.
"The midfielder deftly dinked the ball over the oncoming goalkeeper to score the winning goal."
Australian To carry a second person as a passenger on a bicycle or horse (informal).
"When we were kids, my older brother used to dink me to school on the handlebars of his bike."
Word Nuance & Usage
While innocuous when used as a sports term for a soft drop shot or as the demographic acronym DINK ('dual income, no kids'), 'dink' has also been used as a derogatory ethnic slur against Vietnamese and other East or Southeast Asian people and should be avoided in that sense.
• Rhymes for dink
Word Origin & Etymology
In sports, the word emerged in early 20th-century American slang, likely of imitative origin suggesting a light, bouncing tap. As a socioeconomic noun (often capitalized as DINK), it was coined in the 1980s as an acronym for 'dual income, no kids'.