Skip to main content
to chink

to chink

1 7.7
To make a short high ringing sound like small metal pieces hitting
  • verb
  • /tʃɪŋk/
translation icon : tintinear
  • Alice holds out her glass and makes the ice cubes chink with an impatient movement of her hand.

Examples

  • You dug and chinked the metal box.

  • ''l felt that ice chink against my spine.

  • The coins chink against my paper plate.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • "How about this?" The tin-can star chinked against his tags.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Down a hill; hail chinking loudly off the hood.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • "So you did," Netty said, and her teacup chinked as she replaced it in the saucer.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • So subtle, that enemy, chinking our women's armor with the same destructive tactic that has devastated our marriages and families.

    Blog text (13)
  • She wore an armload of silver bracelets, and they crashed and chinked each time she raised her cigarette to her lips.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The coins chink against my paper plate as I count my change.

  • Alice holds out her glass and makes the ice cubes chink together with an impatient movement of her hand.

Synonyms

to ring
vsto chink
430 1.0

To make a clear sound like a bell that can be heard far away

is thinner and higher pitched, not the broad echoed ringing
to ding
vsto chink
22 6.1

To make a short high sound like a small bell, for example on a phone

is thinner and more metallic rather than bell like
to jingle
vsto chink
18 2.8

To make a light ringing sound by moving small metal objects

is thinner and usually a single short ring rather than repeated bright rings
to clink
vsto chink
16 5.1

To make a short, sharp sound by hitting glass or metal together

is thinner and more high pitched than a short sharp strike
to tinkle
vsto chink
15 3.9

To make a light clear ringing sound like a small bell

is thinner and more metallic than bell or glass sounds
to ting
vsto chink
11 8.3

To make a light, clear ringing sound like a small bell or glass

is thinner and higher pitched rather than a general metallic ring
to ching
vsto chink
1 8.8

To make a short sharp ringing sound like metal hitting metal

is thinner and higher pitched rather than sharp and sudden
to tink
vsto chink
1 9.5

To make a short high ringing sound like a small bell

is thinner and less bell like, coming from tiny metal strikes
to plink
vsto chink
1 7.3

To make a short high sound by hitting small hard things

is thinner and more fragile sounding than an instrument note
to jingle-jangle
vsto chink
1 7.5

A light ringing sound that small metal things make when they touch

is a single thin high note rather than repeated ringing
clinking
vsto chink
3.4

A light, sharp ringing sound when keys or glasses touch

comes from very small metal objects rather than glass
tinkling
vsto chink
2.7

Making short, high ringing sounds like small bells

is a single thin ring rather than repeated bell notes
to dingling
vsto chink
6.1

To make a light ringing sound like a small bell

is a single thin ring rather than ongoing bell like repeats

Antonyms

64 5.8

To make a sound or feeling quieter so it is less noticeable

Idioms

1 7.4

A small weakness in a person, group, or system that others can use

A small weakness in someone's reasons that other people can use

How Loud

to crash
71 2.4
to clang
11 3.5
chime
23 1.7
to chink
1 7.7
to tinkle
15 3.9

Surface Forms

chink infinitive
chinked past
chinked past participle
chinking present participle
chinks third person singular

Etymology

Chink meaning 'to make a thin, high metal sound' comes from a sound-making word that copies the noise, like clink or tink. So coins, bracelets, or a small bell 'chink' because they make that short, sharp ring.