chink
1 of 5noun (1)
ˈchiŋk 
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
chink
2 of 5verb (1)
chinked; chinking; chinks
transitive verb
: to fill the chinks of (as by caulking)
chink a log cabin
chink
3 of 5noun (2)
1
archaic : coin, money
2
: a short sharp sound
chink
4 of 5verb (2)
chinked; chinking; chinks
intransitive verb
: to make a slight sharp metallic sound
transitive verb
: to cause to make a chink
Chink
5 of 5noun or adjective
ˈchiŋk
offensive
—used as an insulting and contemptuous term for a person of Chinese birth or descent
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- Achilles' heel
- back
- jugular
- soft spot
- underbelly
Verb (2)
- clink
- jingle
- tingle
- tinkle
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
probably alteration of Middle English chine crack, fissure
Noun (2)
imitative
Noun or adjective
perhaps alteration of Chinese
First Known Use
Noun (1)
1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb (1)
1609, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
1573, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb (2)
1589, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Noun Or Adjective
1887, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
chink
noun
ˈchiŋk
: a narrow slit or crack (as in a wall)
chinks 1 of 2
noun
1
as in backs
a vulnerable point before the tournament she studied tapes of her chief rival, looking for the chink in her game Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- backs
- underbellies
- jugulars
- ruins
- soft spots
- downfalls
- Achilles' heels
- undoings
- hamartias
- tragic flaws
2
as in fissures
an irregular usually narrow break in a surface created by pressure plugged the chinks in the walls with mortar Synonyms & Similar Words
- fissures
- crevices
- cracks
- rifts
- crannies
- clefts
- gaps
- splits
- crevasses
- fractures
- checks
- slits
- openings
- ruptures
- gashes
- breaches
- hairlines
- incisions
- crazes
- cuts
chinks
2 of 2verb
as in clinks
to make a repeated sharp light ringing sound in the breeze the flag's chain chinked against the flagpole Synonyms & Similar Words
- clinks
- jingles
- rings
- tinkles
- rattles
- tingles
- clangs
- chimes
- clashes
- clanks
- dings
- clatters
- pings
- gongs
- plinks
- ding-dongs
- clacks
- crashes
- jangles
- clangors