What does clinked mean?
"Clinked" is the past tense of the verb "clink," describing the short, bright, ringing sound made when two hard objects — usually glass or metal — strike together. It appears most famously in moments of celebration: friends clinked their glasses across the dinner table, sealing a toast with sound. Yet the same word suits less festive scenes too; coins clinked into a tip jar, keys clinked on a counter, and prisoners' chains clinked in old novels. English treats it flexibly, using it both without an object ("the bottles clinked") and with one ("she clinked her cup against mine"). Its connotation depends entirely on context — conviviality at a wedding, menace in a jail cell. A memorable quirk is that "the clink" is long-standing British slang for prison, giving this small, cheerful-sounding word a surprising double life.
verbPast tense and past participle of "clink": to make or cause a short, sharp, ringing metallic sound, as when glass or metal objects strike each other.
- To make or cause a short, sharp ringing sound by striking glass or metal (e.g. glasses clinked in a toast).
- To fall or move with such a sound, or for objects to strike each other with a metallic ring.
- (Slang, chiefly British) To put in prison — used in the related noun phrase "the clink."
"The glasses clinked as the guests raised their toasts."
"They clinked their glasses and wished the newlyweds well."
"The prisoner's chains clinked softly as he walked down the corridor."
In British slang, "the clink" means prison — so saying someone's keys clinked can carry an unexpectedly ominous ring.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of clinked
The verb "clink" is imitative in origin, formed to echo the very metallic sound it describes — part of a family of English words that mimic sharp noises. It has been in use since at least the early modern period, with related forms appearing in Middle English. Its slang sense for prison, first recorded in Britain in the sixteenth century, may derive from a place name associated with a lock-up, though the exact source is debated.
Related word forms
How clinked is actually used
"Clinked" is most often used of celebratory toasting between glasses, giving it warm, convivial connotations, but it also appears in contexts involving chains, coins, or keys, where it can feel cold or ominous. It works as both an intransitive verb ("the bottles clinked") and a transitive one ("she clinked her glass against his"). The word is informal to neutral in register.
Easily confused with clinked
"Clique" is a noun meaning a small exclusive group of people, while "clink" refers to a sharp metallic sound or, in slang, prison.