chin

chin /tʃɪn/ noun [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: cinn]
1. the front part of your face below your mouth:
   • He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
2. (keep your) chin up! spoken used to tell someone to make an effort to stay brave and confident when they are in a difficult situation:
   • Chin up! It’ll be over soon.
3. take something on the chin to accept a difficult or unpleasant situation without complaining – used to show approval:
   • One of our great strengths is our ability to take it on the chin and come out fighting.
     • • •

COLLOCATIONS■ adjectives

   ▪ a double chin (=loose skin under your chin that looks like a second chin) • Frank was much fatter now and he had a double chin.
   ▪ a pointed chin • She had a narrow face and a pointed chin.
   ▪ a weak chin (=small in proportion to the face, and not square in shape) • He’s grown a beard to cover his weak chin.
   ▪ a determined chin literary (=giving a face a determined appearance) • She had short hair and a determined chin.
   ▪ a square chin • A square chin may be taken as a sign of a stubborn character.
   ▪ a receding chin (=sloping backwards in an unattractive way) • Half the boys in my college seemed to have receding chins.
   ▪ an unshaven chin (=with short hairs on because a man has not shaved) • His combed hair looked oddly neat against his unshaven chin.

■ verbs

▪ stroke/rub your chin (=stroke it in a way that shows you are thinking about something) • He stroked his chin and then seemed to come to a decision.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

chin

chin [chin chins] [tʃɪn] [tʃɪn] noun

the part of the face below the mouth and above the neck

• A strap fastens under the chin to keep the helmet in place.

see also double chin

more at chuck sb under the chin at chuck v.

Idioms: chin up ▪ take something on the chin

Word Origin:

Old English cin, cinn, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin gena ‘cheek’ and Greek genus ‘jaw’.

Collocations:

Physical appearance

A person may be described as having:

Eyes

(bright) blue/green/(dark/light) brown/hazel eyes

deep-set/sunken/bulging/protruding eyes

small/beady/sparkling/twinkling/(informal) shifty eyes

piercing/penetrating/steely eyes

bloodshot/watery/puffy eyes

bushy/thick/dark/raised/arched eyebrows

long/dark/thick/curly/false eyelashes/lashes

Face

a flat/bulbous/pointed/sharp/snub nose

a straight/a hooked/a Roman/(formal) an aquiline nose

full/thick/thin/pouty lips

dry/chapped/cracked lips

flushed/rosy/red/ruddy/pale cheeks

soft/chubby/sunken cheeks

white/perfect/crooked/protruding teeth

a large/high/broad/wide/sloping forehead

a strong/weak/pointed/double chin

a long/full/bushy/wispy/goatee beard

a long/thin/bushy/droopy/handlebar/pencil moustache/ (especially US) mustache

Hair and skin

pale/fair/olive/dark/tanned skin

dry/oily/smooth/rough/leathery/wrinkled skin

a dark/pale/light/sallow/ruddy/olive/swarthy/clear complexion

deep/fine/little/facial wrinkles

blonde/blond/fair/(light/dark) brown/(jet-)black/auburn/red/(BrE) ginger/grey hair

straight/curly/wavy/frizzy/spiky hair

thick/thin/fine/bushy/thinning hair

dyed/bleached/soft/silky/dry/greasy/shiny hair

long/short/shoulder-length/cropped hair

a bald/balding/shaved head

a receding hairline

a bald patch/spot

a side/centre/(US) center (BrE) parting/ (NAmE) part

Body

a long/short/thick/slender/(disapproving) scrawny neck

broad/narrow/sloping/rounded/hunched shoulders

a bare/broad/muscular/small/large chest

a flat/swollen/bulging stomach

a small/tiny/narrow/slim/slender/28-inch waist

big/wide/narrow/slim hips

a straight/bent/arched/broad/hairy back

thin/slender/muscular arms

big/large/small/manicured/calloused/gloved hands

long/short/fat/slender/delicate/bony fingers

long/muscular/hairy/shapely/(both informal, often disapproving) skinny/spindly legs

muscular/chubby/(informal, disapproving) flabby thighs

big/little/small/dainty/wide/narrow/bare feet

a good/a slim/a slender/an hourglass figure

be of slim/medium/average/large/athletic/stocky build

Example Bank:

• He cupped her chin with his hand.

• He had bits of food on his chin.

• He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face to his.

• He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

• Her chin was resting on his shoulder.

• His chin quivered and a tear ran down his cheek.

• His chin rose in a proud gesture.

• Maria jutted her chin defiantly.

• She caught him with a hard blow on the chin.

• She sat resting her chin on her hands.

• She sat with her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her cupped hands.

• She tilted her chin at him defiantly.

• Slowly lower the bar to around chin level.

• The juice dribbled down his chin.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

chin

chin /tʃɪn/
noun [C]
the part of a person's face below their mouth:
To keep the helmet in position, fasten the strap beneath the chin.
She sat behind the table, her chin resting in her hands.

-chinned/-tʃɪnd/
suffix
having a particular type of chin:
square-chinned

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

chin

/tʃɪn/
(chins)

Your chin is the part of your face that is below your mouth and above your neck.
...a double chin...
He rubbed the gray stubble on his chin.

N-COUNT

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

chin

chin /ˈʧɪn/ noun, pl chins [count] : the part of the face below the mouth and above the neck - see picture at face; see also double chin
keep your chin up : to stay cheerful and hopeful during difficult times
• He's still keeping his chin up despite all his health problems.
• (Keep your) chin up! Everything will work out for the best.
take it on the chin informal
1 US : to be badly damaged or affected by something : to be hit hard by something
• Many investors took it on the chin yesterday as the stock market dropped sharply.
2 Brit : to accept something difficult or unpleasant without complaining
• The criticism was harsh but he took it on the chin and didn't try to blame anyone else.