What does clink mean?
Clink is both noun and verb describing a short, sharp metallic ringing sound — glasses tapping in a toast, coins dropping into a jar, keys jangling on a ring. As a verb, it works transitively or intransitively: one can clink glasses with someone, or simply hear things clink. The word is imitative in origin, echoing the sound it names, and carries light, often convivial connotations — celebrations, bars, casual gatherings. In British and Australian slang, however, 'the clink' has a grittier meaning: prison. That sense emerged in the early twentieth century, though its precise origin is uncertain; one suggestion links it to the sound of chains, another to a former prison. Whatever its source, the term is firmly established in informal speech. Compact and vivid, clink is a useful onomatopoeic addition to any writer's vocabulary for evoking metal, glass, and small collisions of hard objects.
A short, sharp metallic ringing sound.
"There was a soft clink of china from the kitchen."
Often used in the pattern 'the clink of X', especially glasses or coins.
To make, or cause objects to make, a short metallic ringing sound.
"They clinked their glasses together and drank."
(British slang) A prison or jail, usually in the phrase 'the clink'.
"If you keep driving like that, you'll end up in the clink."
Informal and chiefly British; always used with the definite article.
Used when referring to multiple instances of the sound.
"We could hear the faint clinks and rattles of the dinner service being laid."
In British slang, 'the clink' means prison — and no one is entirely sure how the sound of touching glasses came to mean a jail cell.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of clink
Clink is an onomatopoeic word, formed in imitation of the sharp metallic sound it describes, and appears in English from around the sixteenth century. It is related to other imitative words beginning with the consonant cluster cl-, such as clank, clang, click, and cling, which similarly mimic percussive sounds. The slang sense meaning prison arose in Britain in the early twentieth century, though its exact derivation is disputed.
Related word forms
How clink is actually used
'Clink' is informal to neutral in register. The slang sense meaning prison is chiefly British and always takes the definite article ('the clink'). The verb is often used with two objects clinking together, as in glasses or ice cubes.
Easily confused with clink
A clique is an exclusive social group; clink is either a metallic sound or (in British slang) a prison.
A kink is a twist or sharp bend in something, while clink is a short metallic ringing sound.