Chin-chin Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

chin-chin American [chin-chin] / ˈtʃɪnˌtʃɪn /

noun

1. polite and ceremonious speech.

2. light conversation; chitchat.

verb (used without object)

chin-chinned, chin-chinning

1. to speak politely and ceremoniously.

2. to talk casually and lightly; chat.

interjection

1. (used as a greeting or farewell.)

2. (used as a toast, as in drinking to someone's health.)

chin-chin British

1. informal a greeting, farewell, or toast

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of chin-chin

First recorded in 1785–95; from Chinese qǐng-qǐng literally, “please, please,” used as a greeting and as a toast in drinking

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Both sides "will actively implement the agreed consensus as quickly as possible" said Hsieh Chin-chin, deputy director-general of the coastguard administration.

From BBC

She sat upright on the sofa, legs crossed like an unfamiliar guest, and refused the chin-chin Ugwu brought on a saucer.

From Literature

“Very good, very good. Ugwu, you have to teach the people in my house because all they do with our flour is chin-chin, every day is chin-chin, chin-chin, and it is the hard kind with no taste! My teeth have finished.”

From Literature

“Would you like Ugwu to bring you some chin-chin? They’re fantastic; he made them this morning.”

From Literature

Ugwu did not remember his name, but he tended to eat up all the chin-chin right after it was served, so Ugwu had taken to placing the tray as far away from him as possible.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.