What does clinking mean?
Clinking refers to the short, sharp, metallic ringing sound produced when hard objects — typically glass, metal, or ceramic — strike one another. Most often encountered as the present participle of the verb 'clink', it appears in phrases such as 'glasses clinking in a toast' or 'coins clinking in his pocket'. It can also serve as an adjective describing something that emits this sound, or as a noun naming the sound itself. The word carries strong sensory and emotional connotations: clinking glasses suggest celebration, conviviality, and abundance, while the clinking of chains or keys can evoke confinement or unease. Because it is onomatopoeic in origin, the word closely mimics the very sound it names, making it vivid and immediately intelligible. Writers frequently use it to add auditory texture to scenes of parties, taverns, prisons, or money changing hands, and its crisp consonants make it especially effective in descriptive prose.
Making or causing a short, sharp metallic ringing sound by striking.
"She could hear spoons clinking against teacups in the next room."
Used transitively ('clinking their glasses') or intransitively ('ice clinking in the glass').
Emitting or marked by a short, sharp metallic ringing sound.
"A clinking sound came from the chandelier in the breeze."
A short, sharp metallic ringing sound, especially of glass or metal objects striking together.
"There was a cheerful clinking from the bar as the party got underway."
That cheerful clinking of glasses at a toast is one of humanity's oldest sound effects — the word itself is centuries old and simply imitates the noise.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of clinking
Clinking derives from the verb 'clink', which emerged in Middle English as an imitative (onomatopoeic) formation echoing the sound of struck metal or glass. It has close counterparts in other Germanic languages, notably Dutch 'klinken' and German 'klingen' (to ring, resound), reflecting a shared Germanic tradition of sound-imitative verbs. The word has retained its purely acoustic meaning from its earliest attestations through modern usage.
Related word forms
How clinking is actually used
The word is neutral to slightly evocative in register, often used for atmosphere in descriptive writing — festive when applied to glasses at a celebration, ominous when applied to chains or cell doors. It functions as the -ing form of the verb 'clink', as a participial adjective, and occasionally as a mass noun denoting the sound itself.
Easily confused with clinking
Clicking describes a short, dry mechanical or non-metallic snap, while clinking specifically refers to the ringing sound of metal or glass striking together.