What does "chick" mean?
A young bird.
Chick
/t͡ʃɪk/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A young bird.
- Grammar: chick is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: angel, avifauna, babe, baby.
- Useful contrasts: adult bird, adult chicken, guy.
- Usage evidence: She hovers over that child like a hen with one chick.
How to use "chick"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chick" 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 "chick" 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 "chick" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chick" 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 "chick" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang 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 "angel" 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 "chick", 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 young bird.
"Near-synonyms: nestling, fledgling"
- 2 A screen or blind made of finely slit bamboo and twine, hung in doorways or windows. India, Pakistan
"1890, Rudyard Kipling, Letter to William Canton, 5 April, 1890, in Sandra Kemp and Lisa Lewis (eds.) Writings on writing by Rudyard Kipling, Cambridge University Press, 1996, p. 34, https://books.google.ca/books?id=-AQStA5QMjwC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Then, through a cautiously lifted chick, the old scene stands revealed […]"
- 3 young bird especially of domestic fowl wordnet
- 4 A young bird.; A young chicken. especially
"Neither chick nor child was left living the length of the seacoast."
- 5 informal terms for a (young) woman wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 An attractive, young woman; or, more generally, a woman. colloquial
"This chick's a machine but her friend is way more fun."
- 7 A friendly fighter aircraft. slang
"The Aldis lamp flashes at the underside of each aircraft. It shows that the gear is down. Diegal is relaxing. This is such low responsibility, easy night duty. All the “chicks” (fighter aircraft) are home to roost except one."
- 8 A young child. dated, endearing
Verb
- 1 To sprout, as seed does in the ground; to vegetate. obsolete
"plowing in his oats with a very feet furrow; and, after they have “chicked” but before they appear aboveground"
- 2 To compress the lips and then separate them quickly, resulting in a percussive noise.
"He chicked his lips; he cracked his whip; he winked with a knowing leer; he ran down the alley and up the stair, then down the stair and up the alley"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"She hovers over that child like a hen with one chick."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chick"?
Common synonyms include: angel, avifauna, babe, baby, baby bird, baby chick.
How do you use "chick" in a sentence?
She hovers over that child like a hen with one chick.
How do you pronounce "chick"?
Pronounced /t͡ʃɪk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English chicke, chike, variation of chiken (“chicken", also "chick”), from Old English ċicen, ċycen (“chicken”). Sense of "young woman" dates to at least 1860 (compare chit (“young, pert woman”)). More at chicken.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Hindustani چق (ciq) / चिक (cik), ultimately from Persian چق.