What does "chin" mean?
The bottom of a face, (specifically) the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
Chin
/t͡ʃɪn/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The bottom of a face, (specifically) the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
- Grammar: chin is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aeroplane, airplane, bandy words, bat the breeze.
- Useful contrasts: brow, cheeks, deflect.
- Usage evidence: The boxer was hit on the chin and went down for the count.
How to use "chin"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chin" 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 "chin" 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 "chin" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chin" 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 "chin" 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 "aeroplane" 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 "chin", 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 The bottom of a face, (specifically) the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
"What does it mean to have a pointy chin instead of a flat chin?"
- 2 A chinchilla. informal
- 3 A tribe in Myanmar. plural, plural-only
"Oral tradition and archaeological evidence suggest the Chin were the earliest Tibeto-Burman group to come to the Chindwin Valley, a settlement process starting as early as the 4ᵗʰ century."
- 4 the protruding part of the lower jaw wordnet
- 5 Talk. US, slang
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Kamarupan languages spoken in western Burma and Bangladesh and easternmost India wordnet
- 7 A lie, a falsehood. British, slang
- 8 A person of the upper class. British, slang
- 9 The ability to withstand being punched in the chin without being knocked out. uncountable
- 10 The lower part of the front of an aircraft, below the nose.
"To paint chins of aircraft"
- 11 The bottom part of a mobile phone, below the screen.
"The phone's chin looks different from the rest of it."
Verb
- 1 To talk. dated, intransitive, slang
"“I reckon you can explain, Mrs. Peabody.” […] “An’ I reckon that newcomer you’ve been chinning with could explain if he had a mind to.”"
- 2 raise oneself while hanging from one's hands until one's chin is level with the support bar wordnet
- 3 To talk to or with (someone). dated, slang, transitive
"“Been up chinning your sporting editor, Ragsy Hurd. […]”"
- 4 To perform a chin-up (exercise in which one lifts one's own weight while hanging from a bar). intransitive, reflexive
"It is worth noting that on the eighth day he was strong enough to “chin” himself six times in succession, though previous to the fasting treatment he had never in his life been able to do this more than once or twice."
- 5 To punch or hit (someone), especially on the chin (part of the body). UK, transitive
"He told me once that he used to be scared to death every time he started in a hard game for fear he’d get badly injured. Said it wasn’t until someone had jabbed him in the nose or ‘chinned’ him that he forgot to be scared."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To put or hold (a musical instrument) up to one's chin. transitive
"Conspicuous in the front rank of “the music” was Joe Lippett, chinning his fife […]"
- 7 To turn on or operate (a device) using one's chin; to select (a particular setting) using one's chin. transitive
"I was too tired to argue; I chinned the valve three or four times, felt a blast blistering my face."
- 8 To put one's chin on (something). transitive
"[…] she elbowed the table and chinned her hand."
- 9 To indicate or point toward (someone or something) with one's chin. transitive
"But you don’t love him, said Madame Sonia with understanding. Do you love this one? Madame Sonia chinned the American."
Proper Noun
- 1 A hamlet in Alberta, Canada.
- 2 Alternative form of China. alt-of, alternative, obsolete
- 3 A surname from Chinese.
- 4 Alternative form of Jin: an ancient Chinese state and various medieval Chinese dynasties. alt-of, alternative, obsolete
"The most amazing poems in human history are the Huêi-wên-tʻü or the revolving chart, by Lady Su Huêi, of the Chin Dynasty (265-419), and the Chʻien-tzŭ-wên, or thousand-character literature, by Chou Hsing-ssŭ, (fifth century a.d.)"
- 5 Alternative form of Qin: an ancient Chinese state. alt-of, alternative
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A state of Myanmar.
- 7 Synonym of Zo (“a language of Myanmar”).
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The boxer was hit on the chin and went down for the count."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chin"?
Common synonyms include: aeroplane, airplane, bandy words, bat the breeze, beat the gums, button.
How do you use "chin" in a sentence?
The boxer was hit on the chin and went down for the count.
How do you pronounce "chin"?
Pronounced /t͡ʃɪn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English chyn, from Old English ċinn (“chin”), from Proto-West Germanic *kinnu, from Proto-Germanic *kinnuz (“chin”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénus (“chin, jaw”). Compare West Frisian/Dutch kin, Low German/German Kinn, Danish kind, Icelandic kinn, Welsh gen, Latin gena, Tocharian A śanweṃ, Ancient Greek γένυς (génus, “jaw”), Armenian ծնոտ (cnot), Persian چانه (čâne), Sanskrit हनु (hánu). Doublet of gena.
Etymology 2
Shortening of chinchilla.
Etymology 3
See China.
Etymology 4
As a Chinese surname, a variant romanization of various Chinese characters, e.g. Hakka 陳／陈 (Chhṳ̀n), Taishanese 陳 /陈 (cin³), Cantonese 錢／钱 (cin4), Mandarin 金 (Chin¹), and Mandarin 秦 (Chʻin²).
Etymology 5
The atonal Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 晉 /晋 (Jìn).
Etymology 6
From Mandarin 秦 (Qín) Wade–Giles romanization: Chʻin².
Etymology 7
From Burmese ချင်း (hkyang:).