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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

jink.

A quick evasive turn.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/d͡ʒɪŋk/
  1. A quick evasive turn.

  2. A jack or knucklebone used in the game of jinks (possibly derived from the Scottish game high jinks).

Where this word comes from

Origin uncertain. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests onomatopoeia for motion. Attested since the 18th century. Compare unnasalised dialectal jick (“to avoid with a sudden jerk of the body, elude”).

verb/d͡ʒɪŋk/
  1. To make a quick evasive turn or turns to confuse pursuers, incoming fire, etc.

    intransitive
  2. To cause a vehicle to make a quick evasive turn.

    transitive
  3. In the games of spoilfive and forty-five, to win the game by taking all five tricks; also, to attempt to win all five tricks, losing what has been already won if unsuccessful.

    intransitive
  4. To elude; to cheat.

  5. To clink or chink against.

Where this word comes from

Origin uncertain. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests onomatopoeia for motion. Attested since the 18th century. Compare unnasalised dialectal jick (“to avoid with a sudden jerk of the body, elude”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.