1
: a short thick piece or lump (as of wood or coal)
2
: a large noteworthy quantity or part
bet a sizable chunk of money on the race
3
: a strong thickset horse usually smaller than a draft horse
4
psychology
: a unit of information retained in the memory and easily recalled
The process of memorizing may be simply the formation of chunks, or groups of items that go together, until there are few enough chunks so that we can recall all the items.—
Marilyn Sternglass
Marilyn SternglassA chunk represents a recoding of information. For example, the sequence 149217761941 would, for most of us, be a snap to remember. Almost automatically we'd recode the 12 digits into three chunks, 1492, 1776, 1941, all key dates in US history.—Robert Kanigel
Robert Kanigel
chunked; chunking; chunks
: to make a dull plunging or explosive sound
the rhythmic chunking of thrown quoits—John Updike
John Updike1
: to mishit (a golf ball or shot) by striking the ground behind the ball
2
psychology
: to organize (separate units of information) into a single large unit that is retained in the memory and easily recalled
To recall a 10-digit telephone number, for instance, a person could chunk the digits into three groups: the area code (such as 021), then a three-digit chunk (639) and a four-digit chunk (4345).—Jonathan K. Foster
Jonathan K. FosterExamples of chunk in a Sentence
Noun
She cut the fruit into large chunks.
She spends a good chunk of her day on the phone.
He devoted a large chunk of time to the project.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Like many of her peers, Sennott experienced a bit of Peter Pan syndrome after feeling robbed of a chunk of her youth.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
Matt Hayes, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2025
Swap out half the watermelon chunks for blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries for a simple and sweet twist.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chunk
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Noun
Stranger Things season 5 will be released in three separate chunks.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Like many of her peers, Sennott experienced a bit of Peter Pan syndrome after feeling robbed of a chunk of her youth.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
The Irish had chunk plays in both the run and pass games.
—Matt Hayes, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2025
Swap out half the watermelon chunks for blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries for a simple and sweet twist.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chunk
Cite this Entry
“Chunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chunk. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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