Meaning & use
chick
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A young bird, especially a baby chicken, that has recently hatched.
Grammar: Countable; plural 'chicks'. Often used for baby chickens.
Patterns
- a chick
- hatch from an egg
- feed the chicks
The hen protects her chicks under her wings.
We watched the chicks hatch in the incubator.
The farm sells day-old chicks to local farmers.
nouncountableslangoffensiveold-fashioned
A young woman. This use is dated slang and can be offensive.
Grammar: Countable; plural 'chicks'. Now often considered sexist or disrespectful.
Patterns
- a chick
- some chicks
In the 1960s, some men used 'chick' to refer to a woman, but today it is usually seen as offensive.
The word 'chick' for a woman is outdated and should be avoided.
Word forms
| plural | chicks |
|---|
Common combinations
- baby chick
- The baby chick followed its mother around the yard.
- hatch a chick
- The eggs will hatch a chick in about three weeks.
- chick flick
- The movie was dismissed as a chick flick, but it was actually quite good.
Synonyms and how they differ
- baby bird
- More general; can refer to any young bird, while 'chick' often specifically means a baby chicken.
- nestling
- Technical term for a young bird still in the nest; 'chick' is more common and broader.
Word family
- chicken noun
- A domestic fowl kept for eggs or meat; also the meat of this bird.
Commonly confused: chick or chic?
chick vs chic
Pronounced /ʃiːk/, meaning stylish. 'Chick' is pronounced /tʃɪk/ and refers to a baby bird.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'chick' in its most common, neutral sense?
Choose one answer.
The neutral sense refers to a baby bird, especially a chicken. The other options use the dated slang for a woman, which is often offensive.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chick”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.