clink
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Make a high sound typical of glass.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
klingkIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈklɪŋk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
ambitransitive
Make a high sound typical of glass
“Champagne glasses clinked to make a toast.”
ambitransitive
To make a clinking sound; to make a sound of metal on metal or glass on glass; to strike materials such as metal or glass against one another.
ambitransitive
Make or emit a high sound
noun
onomatopoeia
The sound of metal on metal, or glass on glass.
Stress cracks produced in metal ingots as they cool after being cast.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Make a high sound typical of glass
Used this way, clink is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Champagne glasses clinked to make a toast.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “clink to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: clink to …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use clink
- “Champagne glasses clinked to make a toast.”verb
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: make a high sound typical of glass
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.