blue chip

noun

1

a

: a stock issue of high investment quality that usually pertains to a substantial well-established company and enjoys public confidence in its worth and stability

also : a company that offers such stocks

b

: a business or undertaking with an outstanding record or likelihood of profitability

2

: one that is outstanding: such as

a

: an outstandingly worthwhile or valuable property or asset

b

: an athlete rated as excellent or as an excellent prospect

blue-chip

ˈblü-ˈchip 

adjective

Examples of blue chip in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a lending sense low rates of interest are paradoxically a sign of growing caution, or a movement away from risk as low-rate loans are made to the bluest of blue chips, or toward mortgages that bring with them a recoverable asset (the house itself) assuming borrower defaults. —John Tamny, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

For the week, the S&P 500 lost 1% and the Dow fell 2.7% as blue chips also ended a six-week win streak. —Brooke Seipel, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2024

South Korea’s blue chip Kospi closed marginally lower at 2,596.91, while the small-cap Kosdaq inched 0.59% lower to end at 770.87. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2024

The benchmark South Korean blue chip Kospi index rose 2%. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

blue chip

noun

: a stock issue that has a high value because of public faith in its worth and stability

also : a company that issues such stock

Legal Definition

blue chip

noun

: a stock issue of high investment quality that usually pertains to a substantial well-established company and enjoys public confidence in its worth and stability

blue-chip adjective