What does "dink" mean?
Acronym of double income, no kids or dual income, no kids: a childless couple with two jobs and thus two incomes.
Dink
/dɪŋk/ adj, adv, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Acronym of double income, no kids or dual income, no kids: a childless couple with two jobs and thus two incomes.
- Grammar: dink is listed as adj, adv, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: adjust, dent, ding, drop shot.
- Useful contrasts: DIWK, finalize, hammer.
- Usage evidence: Homer "It was a wonderful time. We were living the DINK life." Lisa "Dink?" Homer: "DINK: Dual income, no kids." Lisa: "Oh, DINK."
How to use "dink"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dink" 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 "dink" 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 "dink" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dink" 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 "dink" is acting as adj, adv, 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 "adjust" 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.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dink", 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 Acronym of double income, no kids or dual income, no kids: a childless couple with two jobs and thus two incomes. Australia, US, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, attributive, often
"Homer "It was a wonderful time. We were living the DINK life." Lisa "Dink?" Homer: "DINK: Dual income, no kids." Lisa: "Oh, DINK.""
- 2 A soft drop shot.
"But what I saw is she still has that sense of, ‘Okay, I need to hit a dink shot, I need to come with power now, I need to change up my serve not for a flat one, but a big kick.’"
- 3 A ride on the crossbar or handlebars of a bicycle. Australia, colloquial
"I gave him a dink on my bike."
- 4 A Vietnamese person. US, dated, derogatory, ethnic, slang, slur
"Our job was to go out on night patrols and stay behind to zap any dinks we caught sneaking back to their holes at dawn."
- 5 Alternative letter-case form of DINK (“double income, no kids”). Australia, US, alt-of
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 Hard work, especially one's share of a task. Australia, Northern-England, uncountable
- 7 The penis. Canada, US, colloquial, slang
"The hair on my legs is softer than the hair around my dink, but it still grosses me out."
- 8 a soft return so that the tennis ball drops abruptly after crossing the net wordnet
- 9 A soft drop shot played at or near the non-volley zone.
- 10 A soldier from Australia or New Zealand, a member of the ANZAC forces during the First World War. dated, historical, uncountable
- 11 A foolish or contemptible person. Canada, US, colloquial, slang
"[…]he was a dink, and all the money, fame, and power in the world wouldn't change that one simple fact."
- 12 a couple who both have careers and no children (an acronym for dual income no kids) wordnet
- 13 A light chip; a chipped pass or shot
"The forward passed to Fernandes and, as Pau López advanced, the Portuguese fashioned a sand‑wedge dink over the goalkeeper."
Verb
- 1 To play a soft drop shot.
- 2 To carry someone on a pushbike: behind, on the crossbar or on the handlebar. Australia, colloquial
"I didn't like them at all ; only the lame one who used to let me dink him home on his bicycle."
- 3 To play a soft drop shot at or near the non-volley zone.
- 4 To strike the ball gently.
- 5 To chip lightly, to play a light chip shot.
"The forward dinked the ball over the goalkeeper to score his first goal of the season."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To land a non-lethal headshot on. slang, transitive
Adjective
- 1 Honest, fair, true. Australia, New-Zealand
- 2 Finely dressed, elegant; neat. archaic, dialectal, not-comparable
"All these floated along with the immense tide of population, whom mere curiosity had drawn together; and where the mechanic in his leathern apron, elbowed the dink and dainty dame, his city mistress[…]"
- 3 Alternative spelling of dinq. US, alt-of, alternative, not-comparable
- 4 Genuine, proper, fair dinkum. Australia, New-Zealand
Adverb
- 1 Honestly, truly. Australia, New-Zealand, not-comparable
"Are you The Banjo? Fair dink no bull? Oh, sorry, lady, I mean ... dinki-di?"
Example
"Homer "It was a wonderful time. We were living the DINK life." Lisa "Dink?" Homer: "DINK: Dual income, no kids." Lisa: "Oh, DINK.""
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dink"?
Common synonyms include: adjust, dent, ding, drop shot, fiddle, flick.
How do you use "dink" in a sentence?
Homer "It was a wonderful time. We were living the DINK life." Lisa "Dink?" Homer: "DINK: Dual income, no kids." Lisa: "Oh, DINK."
How do you pronounce "dink"?
Pronounced /dɪŋk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Originally US. First attested in the 1980s.
Etymology 2
Imitative. Originally US. Attested since the 1930s.
Etymology 3
Origin unknown. Attested since the 1930s.
Etymology 4
Uncertain. Either: * A rhythmatic reduplicative of Chink, a derogatory term for a Chinese person. Attested from Australia since the 1960s (consult the American Heritage Dictionary). * or, clipping of dinky dau/dow, a corrupted borrowing from Vietnamese điên cái đầu (“[you make my] head goes crazy”).
Etymology 5
See dinkum.
Etymology 6
Origin unknown. Attested since the late nineteenth century.
Etymology 7
Origin unknown. Attested in English and in Scots since the sixteenth century.
Etymology 8
See dinq.