chick

chick — noun

1. A young bird that has recently hatched from its egg; the word is most often used

1.nounA1
Definition

A young bird that has recently hatched from its egg; the word is most often used for the babies of chickens and other farm birds.

Example

Farmer Wu gently picked up the yellow chick and placed it under the heat lamp.

collocation: chick + heat lamp (farm setting)

Mrs. Chen's class watched the hen leading her chicks across the farmyard.

collocation: hen + her chicks (family grouping)

Common collocations
  • baby chick
  • yellow chick
  • fluffy chick
  • newly hatched chick
  • hen and her chicks
  • hatch chicks
  • raise chicks
  • feed the chicks
  • chick + heat lamp
  • brood of chicks
Synonyms
  • hatchling

    less common; emphasizes the moment of coming out of the egg; more scientific or wildlife-focused

  • nestling

    focuses on the bird being too young to leave the nest, still dependent on its parents

  • fledgling

    refers to a slightly older bird that has grown feathers and is learning to fly

Usage Note

Often used together with 'hen' (the mother) in farm-related contexts. The possessive pairing 'mother hen and her chicks' is a common set phrase.

2. A word that describes a young female adult; many people now view it as insulting

2.nounB2
Definition

A word that describes a young female adult; many people now view it as insulting or degrading. The safest choice is to avoid it and say 'young woman' or address the person by name.

Example

The newspaper article warned office workers not to use the word 'chick' at work.

meta-discourse: discussing the word's appropriateness

Aunt Rosa told her nephew that calling women chicks is disrespectful and old-fashioned.

register warning: disrespectful register

Common collocations
  • chick flick
  • chick lit
  • call someone a chick
  • refer to women as chicks
Synonyms
  • young woman

    neutral and respectful; always a safe alternative

  • girl

    can be neutral for children but may sound patronizing for adult women depending on context

  • lady

    polite and formal, though can feel old-fashioned in some situations

Usage Note

Frequently appears in fixed compound nouns such as 'chick flick' (a film intended mainly for women) and 'chick lit' (novels aimed at women readers), where the offensive connotation is weaker or neutralized by genre-label convention.

Common Mistakes

She is a really cool chick.
She seems like a really nice person.
Even if intended as a compliment, calling a woman a 'chick' can be perceived as sexist or demeaning.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Chick is the most common everyday word for a very young bird, especially a farm chicken. A hatchling is a bird that has just emerged from its egg — the term feels more scientific and is common in wildlife documentaries. A fledgling has grown feathers and is practising flight; it also carries a metaphorical meaning of a beginner or novice in any field (e.g. a fledgling journalist). A nestling is still too young to leave the nest and depends entirely on its parents for food. In casual conversation, chick works well for farm or petting-zoo scenes, hatchling fits nature-writing contexts, fledgling suits discussions of bird development and new learners, and nestling emphasizes complete parental dependence.

chick ↗hatchlingfledglingnestling

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word comes from Middle English 'chike', a shortened form of 'chicken'. That traces back to Old English 'cicen', which meant a young chicken. The slang use for a young woman appeared in American English around the 1920s-1930s, initially as a neutral or affectionate term but later widely viewed as offensive or belittling.