chin /tʃɪn/ BrE AmE 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.
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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.