linkage

link·age | \ ˈliŋ-kij

Definition of linkage

1 : the manner or style of being united: such as

a : the manner in which atoms or radicals are linked in a molecule

2 : the quality or state of being linked especially : the relationship between genes on the same chromosome that causes them to be inherited together — compare mendel's law sense 2

3 : a system of links especially : a system of links or bars which are jointed together and more or less constrained by having a link or links fixed and by means of which straight or nearly straight lines or other point paths may be traced

4 : link sense 2b

5 : the tactic in diplomatic negotiations of linking often unrelated issues so that progress in one area is dependent on agreement in another

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about linkage

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of linkage in a Sentence

linkages between population growth and disease the accountants noticed a linkage between the two supposedly independent companies

Recent Examples on the Web In other cases, untangling the web of common ownership reveals unseemly linkages. — Craig Timberg, Washington Post, "Facebook is inflaming the divides tearing at the Democratic Party," 24 Jan. 2020 Popular music from across the continent is entering a golden age, making waves globally and helping to foster linkages across the Global South that hitherto would have been impossible unmediated by western engagement. — Saratu Abiola, Quartz Africa, "What Cardi B’s Lagos and Accra visits say about travel and media representations of Africa," 13 Dec. 2019 The old mechanical system suffered from a margin of error due to movement and vibration in the linkage that limited the ability to precisely understand the conditions during small movements, Hurley explained. — Dan Carney, Popular Science, "The Corvette is finally the supercar it deserves to be," 2 Jan. 2020 In the novel, these scenes occur far apart, with no obvious linkage. — John Matteson, The Atlantic, "One Way the New Little Women Film Is Radical," 1 Jan. 2020 These were linkages that didn’t exist back in the 1950s… Undoing that is very, very economically dangerous. — NBC News, "Tariffs contribute to job losses in American manufacturing, Fed report shows," 30 Dec. 2019 Nothing could be questioned in the campaign, even though these linkages amid this Russian activity were suspicious and identified as such. — CBS News, "Transcript: Correspondents Panel on "Face the Nation," December 29, 2019," 29 Dec. 2019 Davis says the deal came about when Community Builders’ chief executive, Bart Mitchell, sought help in landing financing and asked about HYM’s linkage payments. — BostonGlobe.com, "Case in point: A new office tower in downtown Boston will help subsidize," 16 Dec. 2019 Our databases on fire across New South Wales will enable us to figure out what actually burnt, how severely, the linkage to vegetation type, fuel management, other human land uses, and climate and weather factors. — John Pickrell, Science | AAAS, "Massive Australian blazes will ‘reframe our understanding of bushfire’," 20 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'linkage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.