Chunk Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms chunk 1 American [chuhngk] / tʃʌŋk /

noun

1. a thick mass or lump of anything.

   a chunk of bread;

   a chunk of firewood.

   Synonyms: gob, wad, piece, hunk

2. Informal. a thick-set and strong person.

3. a strong and stoutly built horse or other animal.

4. a substantial amount of something.

   Rent is a real chunk out of my pay.

verb (used with object)

1. to cut, break, or form into chunks.

   Chunk that wedge of cheese and put the pieces on a plate.

2. to remove a chunk or chunks from (often followed byout ).

   Storms have chunked out the road.

verb (used without object)

1. to form, give off, or disintegrate into chunks.

   My tires have started to chunk.

idioms

1. blow chunks, to vomit.

chunk 2 American [chuhngk] / tʃʌŋk /

verb (used with object)

South Midland and Southern U.S.

1. to toss or throw; chuck.

   chunking pebbles at the barn door.

2. to make or rekindle (a fire) by adding wood, coal, etc., or by stoking (sometimes followed byup ).

chunk British / tʃʌŋk /

noun

1. a thick solid piece, as of meat, wood, etc

2. a considerable amount

"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 chunk1

First recorded in 1685–95; nasalized variant of chuck 2

Origin of chunk1

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; perhaps nasalized variant of chuck 1

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.

Turns out, the chunk of rock that they targeted is much smaller than previously thought.

From Space Scoop

These days, the game’s elite passers command contracts worth upward of $50 million annually and eat up giant chunks of the salary cap.

From The Wall Street Journal

But as temperatures rise, icebergs and thick chunks of centuries-old ice are released into open water, turning shipping straits into minefields.

From The Wall Street Journal

Within the luxury industry, brands that count on aspirational shoppers for a sizable chunk of their U.S. business include the likes of Gucci, Burberry and Saint Laurent.

From The Wall Street Journal

I order French-style beef cubes, which are chunks of meat seasoned with spices like allspice and other ingredients you would find in French food with a Vietnamese influence.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• block
• dollop
• hunk
• lump
• piece
• portion
• wad

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.