nunchuck

noun

nun·​chuck ˈnən-ˌchək 

variants or less commonly nunchuk

plural nunchucks also nunchuks

: a weapon that consists of two sticks joined by a short length of cord, chain, or rawhide : nunchaku

—usually plural

For a time, he walked around with a set of nunchucks in a holster strapped to his leg, like a six-shooter …

—Patrick Redden Keefe

… surprised a pair of burglars, one of whom was carrying a knife and two nunchuks.

—American Rifleman

Examples of nunchuck in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many audiences may recognize him best as the shirtless, nunchuck-wielding man in the coming-of-age classic Ghost World (2001). —Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025

His empathy doesn’t last—the end of the film swings back to nunchuck heroics—but the critters retain an elegiac aura. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025

Although fast-ramping, shaky-cam visuals and choppy editing frequently hobble the inspired fight choreography, Sam’s character motivations always remain at the forefront of the big set-pieces, from the hot-curling iron nunchucks in the solarium to the firehose fight in the whisky room. —Courtney Howard, Variety, 16 June 2025

Before picking his nunchucks back up for John Wick 5, Reeves is due to appear alongside Ana de Armas in the Eve Macarro spinoff Ballerina, out June 6. —Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably representing Anglicization of nunchaku (with stress shift and deletion of final vowel)

Note: Alternatively, final vowel loss may reflect devoicing of -u in Japanese.

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nunchuck

• amok
• amuck
• awestruck
• dumbstruck
• potluck
• roebuck
• unstuck
• woodchuck
• chuck
• cluck
• duck
• huck