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
Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
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
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
There are chinks in the armor that become more apparent this season.
—Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
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
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 29 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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