What does "chalk" mean?
A soft, white, powdery limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO₃).
Chalk
/t͡ʃɔːk/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A soft, white, powdery limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO₃).
- Grammar: chalk is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accumulate, air brush, alabaster, art paper.
- Useful contrasts: erase, forfeit, hardstone.
- Usage evidence: Please bring me two pieces of chalk.
How to use "chalk"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chalk" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "chalk" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "chalk" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chalk" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "chalk" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accumulate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "chalk", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A soft, white, powdery limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO₃). uncountable
"chalk cliffs are not recommended for climbing"
- 2 a piece of calcite or a similar substance, usually in the shape of a crayon, that is used to write or draw on blackboards or other flat surfaces wordnet
- 3 A piece of chalk, or nowadays processed compressed gypsum (calcium sulfate, CaSO₄), that is used for drawing and for writing on a blackboard (chalkboard). countable
"the chalk used to write on the blackboard makes a squeaky sound"
- 4 an amphetamine derivative (trade name Methedrine) used in the form of a crystalline hydrochloride; used as a stimulant to the nervous system and as an appetite suppressant wordnet
- 5 Tailor's chalk. countable, uncountable
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 a pure flat white with little reflectance wordnet
- 7 A white powdery substance used to prevent hands slipping from holds when climbing, or losing grip in weight-lifting or gymnastics, sometimes but not always limestone-chalk, often magnesium carbonate (MgCO₃). uncountable
"when working out your next move, it's a good idea to get some more chalk from the bag"
- 8 a soft whitish calcite wordnet
- 9 A platoon-sized group of airborne soldiers. US, countable
- 10 The favorite in a sporting event. US, countable, uncountable
- 11 The prediction that there will be no upsets, and the favored competitor will win. US, countable, uncountable
"OK, let's get rid of the chalk players right away. The chalk likes North Carolina. Dean Smith has taken Carolina to the Final Four six times."
Verb
- 1 To apply chalk to anything, such as the tip of a billiard cue.
"chalk your hands before climbing"
- 2 write, draw, or trace with chalk wordnet
- 3 To record something, as on a blackboard, using chalk.
- 4 To use powdered chalk to mark the lines on a playing field.
- 5 To record a score or event, as if on a chalkboard. figuratively
"This Book it chaulketh out before thine eyes / The man that ſeeks the everlaſting Prize: / It ſhevvs you vvhence he comes, vvhither he goes, / VVhat he leaves undone; alſo vvhat he does: / It alſo ſhovvs you hovv he runs, and runs, / Till he unto the Gate of Glory comes."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To manure (land) with chalk.
"Land that is chalked"
- 7 To make white, as if with chalk; to make pale; to bleach.
"Fear Stared in her eyes, and chalked her face"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A suburban village attached to the east side of Gravesend, Gravesham borough, Kent, England (OS grid ref TQ6773). countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Please bring me two pieces of chalk."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chalk"?
Common synonyms include: accumulate, air brush, alabaster, art paper, ballpoint pen, besnow.
How do you use "chalk" in a sentence?
Please bring me two pieces of chalk.
How do you pronounce "chalk"?
Pronounced /t͡ʃɔːk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English chalk, chalke, from Old English ċealc, from Proto-West Germanic *kalk, borrowed from Latin calx (“limestone”), again borrowed from Ancient Greek χάλιξ (khálix, “pebble”). Doublet of calx and cauk.
Etymology 2
From early Middle English Celc, from Old English ċealc (“chalk”)