chunk
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
to cut, break, or form into chunks.
Chunk that wedge of cheese and put the pieces on a plate.
-
to remove a chunk or chunks from (often followed byout ).
Storms have chunked out the road.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb (used with object)
-
to toss or throw; chuck.
chunking pebbles at the barn door.
-
to make or rekindle (a fire) by adding wood, coal, etc., or by stoking (sometimes followed byup ).
noun
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a thick solid piece, as of meat, wood, etc
-
a considerable amount
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of chunk1
First recorded in 1685–95; nasalized variant of chuck 2
Origin of chunk2
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.
See Examples For:
Lacy still lives in L.A., though he recorded a chunk of the LP in Paris and has modeled for the luxury line YSL there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
There’s a sizable chunk who don’t know how much they owe in student loans or credit-card debt, or the percentage they are paying in interest payments.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Steven Thorpe said he bought a chunk of the historic wall in Siggelkow, Germany before bringing it home, hoping to preserve it.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
When SpaceX launched its IPO last month, it disclosed it was renting out a big chunk of its computing capacity to Anthropic for $1.25 billion a month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
He’d let his hair grow out, and a chunk of it fell into his eyes.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
“If you tell me: ‘my family had a sugar mill,’ chances are all you’re going to get is chunks of rusted iron in an abandoned field.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
I also like to stuff my dates with cold chunks of butter, as they amplify the creaminess of the dates and deliciously melt in your mouth with each bite.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Ed Shirt, 25, recommends fitting in the 30 minutes wherever you can in the day and splitting it into chunks if that makes it more manageable.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Video of the scene showed broken chunks of concrete on the street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
It occurred to her that the sounds might attract predators, and so she dragged unburned chunks of wood together and rekindled them with the still-hot coals.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.