1
: a small cleft, slit, or fissure
a chink in the fence
2
: a weak spot that may leave one vulnerable
his lawyers found a chink in the law
3
: a narrow beam of light shining through a chink
chinked; chinking; chinks
: to make a slight sharp metallic sound
: to cause to make a chink
offensive
—used as an insulting and contemptuous term for a person of Chinese birth or descent
Examples of chink in a Sentence
Noun (1)
before the tournament she studied tapes of her chief rival, looking for the chink in her game
plugged the chinks in the walls with mortar
Verb (2)
in the breeze the flag's chain chinked against the flagpole
Recent Examples on the Web
Beren Cross, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
The veteran torched them for 32 a month prior and sensed the chinks in their armor.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
Tasha Zemke, Outside Online, 24 Oct. 2024
But already chinks in the vault’s armor have appeared.
—Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for chink
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Noun
Confidence drained as the hosts’ goals went in, before a chink of light in the closing stages of the first period.
—Beren Cross, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
The veteran torched them for 32 a month prior and sensed the chinks in their armor.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
Verb
One of our challenges was thinking up a good chinking method that wouldn’t take an entire month.
—Tasha Zemke, Outside Online, 24 Oct. 2024
But already chinks in the vault’s armor have appeared.
—Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for chink
Cite this Entry
“Chink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chink. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chink
1 of 4 noun
: a narrow slit or crack
chink
2 of 4 verb
: to fill the chinks of
chinked a log hut with mud
chink
3 of 4 noun
: a short sharp sound
chink
4 of 4 verb
: to make or cause to make a short sharp sound
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