From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishchalkchalk1 /tʃɔːk $ tʃɒːk/ ●○○ noun [uncountable] 1 HEGsoft white or grey rock formed a long time ago from the shells of small sea animals SYN limestone chalk cliffs2 (also chalks [plural])AV small sticks of a white or coloured substance like soft rock, used for writing or drawing a box of coloured chalks a piece of chalk writing in chalk on the blackboard3 → chalk and cheese → long chalk at long1(21)
Examples from the Corpus
chalk• She had no money for even a blackboard and chalk, or for the slates used commonly by village children.• He could smell the harsh carbolic soap of the orphanage, then the schoolroom with its dust and chalk.• Bats flittered about him; their warning squeaks sounded like chalk on a blackboard.• A long chalk from resort children.• It makes a fertile soil for crops since here it is a mixture of clay and small particles of chalk.• A taste for dirt or chalk.• The headmaster handed me the chalk.chalkchalk2 verb [transitive + up/on] WRITEto write, mark, or draw something with chalk → chalk something ↔ up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
chalk• Less ambitiously, simple networks can be chalked on to the playground.• Ford management chalked up its most significant coup over working practices in 1985 when 500 job titles were reduced to 58.• By the time I was involved the business had chalked up losses for many years and was in deep trouble.• Since then, Maxwell has chalked up three arrests in Houston.• Red has played a good half, sinking five of six field goals, grabbing four rebounds and chalking up three assists.• Now, abruptly, she could see that he imagined he'd chalked up yet another small victory.From Longman Business Dictionarychalkchalk /tʃɔːktʃɒːk/ verb → chalk up something→ See Verb tableOrigin chalk1 Old English cealc, from Latin calx ' → LIME12', from Greek chalix “small stone” 