noun
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a large piece
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Also called: hunk of a man. slang a well-built, sexually attractive man
Etymology
Origin of hunk
First recorded in 1805–15, hunk is from the Dutch dialect word hunke
Explanation
A hunk is a piece or a chunk or a lump, something without a definite shape. You might eat a hunk of cheese or play with a hunk of clay. If you call someone a hunk, you think he’s hot. For a casual dinner you might just grab a hunk of bread off the loaf and dip it in beef stew, which is full of hunks of meat and potatoes. A completely different type of hunk is a handsome man: "When did your cousin turn into such a hunk?" Hubba hubba! This second meaning dates from around 1945, from African American slang.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Eaten with a hunk of sourdough, it made me feel — at least for twenty blessed minutes — like things were right with the world.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
A tender hunk of goat may follow, gleaming over a sauce that gets its oceanic depth from dried scallops.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
A hunk of romaine was easy pickings for Porkchop and her three flippers.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026
“The Colonel and the King” is a hunk of a book, weighing in at 624 pages.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2025
She snuck some bread and a hunk of cheese, and she hurried off before she got caught.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
