chunk

/tʃʌŋk/ (bre, ipa) · /tʃʌŋk/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈchəŋk/ (ame, mw)

chunk — noun

1. a thick, roughly cut piece of a hard material such as wood, stone, cheese, or ic

1.名詞B1
釋義

a thick, roughly cut piece of a hard material such as wood, stone, cheese, or ice.

例句

Theo broke a chunk of bread off the loaf and dipped it into warm soup.

chunk of [food] — bread and soup pairing

A chunk of ice broke from the roof and crashed onto the garden path.

chunk of [ice] — natural phenomenon

同義詞
  • lump

    more irregular and less cleanly cut — a lump of clay

  • hunk

    a large, roughly cut piece, often of food — a hunk of bread

  • slab

    a flat, broad piece — a slab of concrete

  • nugget

    a small, naturally formed lump — a gold nugget

文法句型

a chunk of [solid material]

用法筆記

Countable noun. Often used with 'of' followed by a solid material. Chunk implies the piece is both thick and irregular in shape, unlike 'slice' (flat) or 'cube' (regular).

常見錯誤

❌I need a chunk of paper for the printer.
✅I need a piece of paper for the printer.
💡'Chunk' is for thick, solid materials; paper is thin, so use 'piece' or 'sheet.'

2. a large part or amount of something that is not a physical object — for example,

2.名詞B1
釋義

a large part or amount of something that is not a physical object — for example, a big portion of a budget, a long period of time, or a major section of a task.

例句

Aiko spent a huge chunk of her savings on fixing the old family car.

chunk of [money] — savings spending

The new project will take up a big chunk of our team's time this autumn.

chunk of [time] — project planning

同義詞
  • portion

    more neutral in register — a portion of the profits

  • segment

    suggests a deliberate division — a market segment

  • share

    focuses on what one person or group receives — my share of the work

文法句型

a chunk of [abstract noun]

a big/large/huge chunk of

用法筆記

Informal. In formal writing, 'portion,' 'segment,' or 'substantial part' may be preferred. The noun modified is typically uncountable or abstract (time, money, work, land, budget).

常見錯誤

❌The report allocates a chunk of the budget to education.' (too informal for an official document)
✅The report allocates a substantial portion of the budget to education.
💡Use 'portion' or 'segment' in formal contexts.

chunk — verb