chunk

1 of 2

noun

ˈchəŋk 

1

: a short thick piece or lump (as of wood or coal)

2

: a large noteworthy quantity or part

bet a sizable chunk of money on the race

3

: a strong thickset horse usually smaller than a draft horse

4

psychology : a unit of information retained in the memory and easily recalled

The process of memorizing may be simply the formation of chunks, or groups of items that go together, until there are few enough chunks so that we can recall all the items.

—Marilyn Sternglass

A chunk represents a recoding of information. For example, the sequence 149217761941 would, for most of us, be a snap to remember. Almost automatically we'd recode the 12 digits into three chunks, 1492, 1776, 1941, all key dates in US history.

—Robert Kanigel

chunk

2 of 2

verb

chunked; chunking; chunks

intransitive verb

: to make a dull plunging or explosive sound

the rhythmic chunking of thrown quoits

—John Updike

transitive verb

1

: to mishit (a golf ball or shot) by striking the ground behind the ball

2

psychology : to organize (separate units of information) into a single large unit that is retained in the memory and easily recalled

To recall a 10-digit telephone number, for instance, a person could chunk the digits into three groups: the area code (such as 021), then a three-digit chunk (639) and a four-digit chunk (4345).

—Jonathan K. Foster

Synonyms

Noun

• abundance
• barrel
• basketful
• boatload
• bucket
• bunch
• bundle
• bushel
• carload
• deal
• dozen
• fistful
• gobs
• good deal
• heap
• hundred
• lashings [chiefly British]
• lashins
• loads
• lot
• mass
• mess
• mountain
• much
• multiplicity
• myriad
• oodles
• pack
• passel
• peck
• pile
• plateful
• plenitude
• plentitude
• plenty
• pot
• potful
• profusion
• quantity
• raft
• reams
• scads
• sheaf
• shipload
• sight
• slew
• spate
• stack
• store
• ton
• truckload
• volume
• wad
• wealth
• yard

Examples of chunk in a Sentence

Noun

She cut the fruit into large chunks.

She spends a good chunk of her day on the phone.

He devoted a large chunk of time to the project.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Martinez also has proposed a nearly $500 million investment in county jails over the coming decade, with the first chunk of that designated for upgrades to the Vista Detention Facility. —Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2024

Such formidable carnivores tore their prey into chunks and swallowed the parts without chewing. —Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps alteration of chuck short piece of wood

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Noun

1691, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1890, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing chunk

• chunk of change

Kids Definition

chunk

noun

ˈchəŋk

1

: a short thick piece or lump

2

: a large amount or part

a chunk of money