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
What To Know The Joint Task Force-Bravo of the U.S. Southern Command deployed three helicopters—two UH-60 Black Hawk and one CH-47 Chinook aircraft—for the exercise, which took place at three air bases in Panama, according to the National Aeronaval Service of Panama.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
Now, the serenity some seek here is broken up by the buzz of chain saws and whoop-whoop-whoop of helicopter blades, including an occasional military Chinook.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 7 July 2025
Commercial fishing of Chinook salmon is prohibited for the third year in a row this year as state regulators seek to help fish stocks recover.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
The hatchery, which raises Chinook salmon and steelhead for release into the American River, typically offers public tours and school visits through its visitor center.
—Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for Chinook
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
Now, the serenity some seek here is broken up by the buzz of chain saws and whoop-whoop-whoop of helicopter blades, including an occasional military Chinook.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 7 July 2025
Commercial fishing of Chinook salmon is prohibited for the third year in a row this year as state regulators seek to help fish stocks recover.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
The hatchery, which raises Chinook salmon and steelhead for release into the American River, typically offers public tours and school visits through its visitor center.
—Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 1 July 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 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share