plural Chinook or Chinooks
1
: a member of an Indigenous people of the north shore of the Columbia River at its mouth
2
: a Chinookan language of the Chinook and other nearby peoples
3
or less commonly chinook
a
: a warm moist southwest wind of the coast from Oregon northward
b
: a warm dry wind that descends the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
4
5
: any of a rare breed of large, muscular dogs that were developed in New Hampshire in the early 1900s as sled and working dogs and have a yellow, reddish-yellow, or yellowish-brown coat and calm temperament
Among the dogs he [Arthur Treadwell Walden] used for breeding the Chinook were descendants of Admiral Peary's Greenland expedition huskies, along with mastiff-types.—
John Nolan
John NolanExamples of Chinook in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Environmental groups said the decline of the longfin smelt, along with other fish species including Delta smelt and Chinook salmon, is linked to water management policies that have reduced flows through the estuary and contributed to worsening water quality.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
As another part of the initiative, wildlife workers have begun reintroducing spring-run Chinook salmon to their original habitat, a stretch of the North Yuba River upstream of New Bullards Bar Dam.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2025
The area surrounding the falls also played an important part in the history of various Native tribes, including the Chinook, Wasco, and Klickitat.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2025
Weeklong extreme fly-fishing itineraries are offered mid-October through April, with endless opportunities to hook brown, brook, and rainbow trout, as well as steelhead and Chinook salmon toward season’s end.
—Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2025
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Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
As another part of the initiative, wildlife workers have begun reintroducing spring-run Chinook salmon to their original habitat, a stretch of the North Yuba River upstream of New Bullards Bar Dam.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2025
The area surrounding the falls also played an important part in the history of various Native tribes, including the Chinook, Wasco, and Klickitat.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2025
Weeklong extreme fly-fishing itineraries are offered mid-October through April, with endless opportunities to hook brown, brook, and rainbow trout, as well as steelhead and Chinook salmon toward season’s end.
—Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Chinook
Cite this Entry
“Chinook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Chinook. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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