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Definition of "clinker" [clink•er]

  • The incombustible residue, fused into an irregular lump, that remains after the combustion of coal. (noun)
  • A partially vitrified brick or a mass of bricks fused together. (noun)
  • An extremely hard burned brick. (noun)
  • Vitrified matter expelled by a volcano. (noun)
  • Slang A sour note in a musical performance: hit a clinker. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "clinker" in a sentence
  • "If clinker is found on the ground, a coal seam is bound to be underneath."
  • "The clinker is that the chain decides which Canadian authors they will display and advertise from a list of authors that the six publishers submit."
  • "The wreck is described as clinker built, a shipbuilding style which dates back to the Viking era, but used for centuries afterwards."