Meaning & use
rock chunk
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A rough, solid piece of stone, usually one that has broken off a larger mass.
Grammar: Countable: say a rock chunk or rock chunks, and use chunk of rock when you want to mention the material.
Patterns
- a rock chunk
- rock chunks
- a rock chunk from something
A rock chunk the size of a fist had fallen onto the path.
The drill brought up rock chunks from deep under the seabed.
He kicked a loose rock chunk down the slope and watched it bounce.
nouncountableinformal
A large, awkward lump of stone seen as an obstacle or as heavy material to move.
Grammar: Often used with verbs of moving or removing, and commonly in the plural for several pieces.
Patterns
- clear rock chunks from something
- haul rock chunks
- a big rock chunk
Workers spent the morning clearing rock chunks from the tunnel entrance.
The truck could not carry another rock chunk up the steep road.
After the blast, rock chunks blocked the whole width of the track.
Word forms
| plural | rock chunks |
|---|
Common combinations
- a chunk of rock
- A chunk of rock broke loose and rolled toward the road.
- a large rock chunk
- A large rock chunk was wedged between the two boulders.
- loose rock chunks
- Loose rock chunks rattled down the cliff after the rain.
- break off a rock chunk
- The hammer broke off a rock chunk that fitted in my hand.
- clear away rock chunks
- Crews cleared away rock chunks before the race could start.
Synonyms and how they differ
- boulder
- Use boulder for a very large, rounded rock; a rock chunk can be any size and is usually rougher and more freshly broken.
- stone
- Stone is the everyday general word for the material or a small piece; rock chunk suggests a bigger, heavier, irregular lump.
- fragment
- Fragment is more formal and stresses that the piece came off something larger, while rock chunk simply describes the lump itself.
Word family
Commonly confused: rock chunk or rocky chunk?
rock chunk vs rocky chunk
Rocky is an adjective meaning full of rocks, so a rocky chunk describes something made of or covered with rock, not a single lump.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'rock chunk' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A rock chunk is a solid piece of stone, so falling from a cliff fits. The other options use 'chunk' with things that are not stone, where 'chunk' alone or another word would be needed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rock chunk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.