china

noun

chi·​na ˈchī-nə 

1

: porcelain

also : vitreous porcelain wares (such as dishes, vases, or ornaments) for domestic use

2

: earthenware or porcelain tableware

Examples of china in a Sentence

She uses her good china when she has company for dinner.

Recent Examples on the Web

Pro tip: Don't settle for paper plates, bring your best china from home. —Sydney Bergan, USA Today, 6 May 2025

Southern interior designers know that there are many different ways to enjoy nice china that don't involve dining. —Sarah Lyon, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2025

One agency that deserves to feel the horns of the bull-in-the-china-shop-in-chief is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an ugly mess of structural abnormalities and constitutional affronts. —David B. McGarry, National Review, 28 Jan. 2025

The fancy china — if families have it at all — remains locked behind glass. —Rukmini Callimachi, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Persian chīnī Chinese porcelain

First Known Use

1639, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing china

• a bull in a china shop
• bone china
• china clay
• china closet
• ironstone china
• stone china

Rhymes for china

• angina
• vagina
• yaquina

Kids Definition

china

noun

chi·​na ˈchī-nə 

1

: porcelain

2

: dishes of pottery or porcelain for use as tableware

Geographical Definition

China

geographical name

Chi·​na ˈchī-nə 

variants or officially People's Republic of China

country of eastern Asia bordering on the Pacific; the most populous country in the world; a republic whose capital is Beijing area 3,705,407 square miles (9,596,960 square kilometers), population 1,384,689,000

see also chinese