Chinook

noun

Chi·​nook shə-ˈnu̇k How to pronounce Chinook (audio) -ˈnük How to pronounce Chinook (audio)
chə-
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
or less commonly chinook plural chinook also chinooks : chinook salmon
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

Examples of Chinook in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Limited Chinook salmon fishing on sections of the Mokelumne, Feather and American rivers is being reopened for the first time in two years, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Tuesday. Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 20 May 2025 One of the Forest Service pilots offered to show the children around a Chinook awaiting its next flight, too. Peter Passi, Twin Cities, 17 May 2025 They'll be followed later by newer aircraft, including 50 Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters. Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 16 May 2025 Take the Sacramento, which historically would get 1 million or more fall Chinook in a good year, but now sees runs in the tens of thousands. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 15 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for Chinook

Word History

Etymology

Lower Chehalis (Salishan language of western Washington) c̓inúk, name of a Chinook village

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Chinook was in 1795

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chinook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Chinook. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

Chinook

noun
Chi·​nook shə-ˈnu̇k How to pronounce Chinook (audio) chə- How to pronounce Chinook (audio)
plural Chinook or Chinooks
: a member of an Indigenous people of Oregon
also : their language

More from Merriam-Webster on Chinook

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!