chalk

Pronunciation

• enPR: chôk
• (UK) IPA ^(key): /ʧɔːk/, SAMPA: /tSO:k/
• (US) IPA ^(key): /ʧɑk/, SAMPA: /tSAk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: chock

Noun

Singular chalk

Plural chalks

Pieces of chalk

chalk (mineral)

1. (uncountable) Chalk is a soft, white, powder-like limestone.

   The men mine chalk in the hills near my house.

2. (countable) Chalk is a piece of chalk, or more usually, processed compressed chalk, that is used for drawing and for writing on a blackboard; teachers at school may use chalk to write on a blackboard.

   John wrote his name on the blackboard with chalk.

   There are many pieces of chalk on the floor.

   The shop at the corner of the street sells many chalks.

Verb

Plain form chalk

Third-person singular chalks

Past tense chalked

Past participle chalked

Present participle chalking

1. To put chalk on something, such as the tip of a billiards cue.
2. To write something using chalk; this is often done on a blackboard.
3. To use powdered chalk to put the lines on a sports field.

Related words

• chalk up to
• chalky