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chick

/tʃɪk/
/tʃɪk/
IPA guide

Other forms: chicks

A chick is a baby bird, especially a just-hatched chicken. Chicks are small, yellow, and fluffy.

Chick can describe most young birds, from an eagle chick to a flamingo chick, or be used more generally: "Dogs aren't allowed on the beach because of the nesting seabirds and their chicks." What most people picture when they think of a chick, though, is a newly hatched chicken, and in fact the word is a 14th century shortened form of chicken. It's also long been an informal, slightly offensive term for a young woman.

Definitions of chick
  1. noun
    young bird especially of domestic fowl
    synonyms: biddy
    see moresee less
    type of:
    young bird
    a bird that is still young
    Gallus gallus, chicken
    a domestic fowl bred for flesh or eggs; believed to have been developed from the red jungle fowl
  2. noun
    informal terms for a (young) woman
    synonyms: bird, dame, doll, skirt
Pronunciation
US
/tʃɪk/
UK
/tʃɪk/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘chick'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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