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Meaning & use

dinks

noun·Advancedinformalsport

Last updated

UK/dɪŋks/
US/dɪŋks/

“dinks” is a form of “dink”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. nounpluralinformalsport

    In tennis and similar racket sports, soft gentle shots that drop just over the net.

    Grammar: Usually plural; use a plural verb. For one shot, say 'a dink'.

    Patterns

    • hit dinks
    • a player who uses dinks

    She won the point with two clever dinks that her opponent could not reach.

    His game is full of dinks and drop shots rather than power.

    The coach told him to stop hitting dinks and drive the ball deeper.

  2. nounpluralinformalsport

    In golf, short soft chips that land on the green and roll gently toward the hole.

    Grammar: Plural noun; the singular 'dink' refers to one such stroke.

    Patterns

    • hit a dink
    • play dinks around the green

    He played a couple of dinks to get close to the flag.

    Her short game is all about dinks and putts from the edge.

  3. nounpluralinformalAustralianregional

    In informal Australian and New Zealand English, rides on the handlebars or crossbar of someone's bicycle.

    Grammar: Plural noun used with a plural verb; often in the phrase 'give someone dinks'.

    Patterns

    • give someone dinks
    • get dinks on a bike

    As kids we used to give each other dinks along the beach path.

    He gave his little brother dinks on the crossbar all the way home.

Word forms

singulardink

Common combinations

hit dinks
She likes to hit dinks when her opponent stands far behind the baseline.
a soft dink
A soft dink over the net caught him completely off guard.
dinks and drop shots
His whole game is dinks and drop shots near the net.
give someone dinks
My cousin used to give me dinks on his bike after school.

Synonyms and how they differ

drop shot
A drop shot is a single soft stroke in tennis; 'dinks' is the plural and is used more loosely for a style of gentle shots.
chip
A chip is a short golf stroke that flies a little before rolling; a dink is even softer and stays lower.

Word family

dink verb
To hit a soft, gentle shot in tennis or golf.
dinking noun
The act of playing soft, gentle shots.

Commonly confused: dinks or dinky?

dinks vs dinky

'Dinky' is an adjective meaning small and unimportant, or (British, informal) a small bicycle; it is not the same word as the plural noun 'dinks'.

Practice

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