CHAINS Synonyms: 216 Similar and Opposite Words

chains 1 of 2

noun

plural of chain

as in sequences

a series of things linked together the chain of events that led the American colonies to seek independence from Great Britain

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Relevance

as in obstacles

something that makes movement or progress difficult this community will grow and prosper only after it has thrown off the chains of ignorance and prejudice

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as in handcuffs

something that physically prevents free movement chains on the prisoner's ankles

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chains

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of chain

as in binds

to confine or restrain with or as if with chains chaining up the dog in the backyard

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as in strings

to put or bring together so as to form a new and longer whole the prosecutor meticulously and brilliantly chained all the evidence together in his closing argument

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of chains

Noun

The cell maintains this state with machines called electron transport chains that pump out thousands of protons per second. —

Quanta Magazine, 20 Apr. 2026 With a smorgasbord of food deals from local and national chains to choose from, there's no shortage of ways to celebrate. —

Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026 The storm is expected to snarl roads into the Sierra Nevada, and require motorists to put chains on their tires. —

Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026 As one point of comparison, HCA Healthcare, one of the nation's largest for-profit hospital and health care chains, reported a 10% profit margin for last year. —

Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 Apr. 2026 Chain length Outdoor dog chains usually come in lengths from 10 to 100 feet. —

Bestreviews, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026 All living creatures are composed of many different types of molecules, which are chains of atoms of a wide variety of types, all strung together, that enable us to eat, breathe, metabolize food, grow, and reproduce. —

Big Think, 17 Apr. 2026 Restaurant chains, too, have had to woo back customers weary of all the inflation of recent years. —

Phil Wahba, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026 The Informed Dining Act, which would require restaurant chains to identify menu items that have high sugar or sodium, passed the House, but was still being considered in the Senate. —

Tara Lynch, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026

Verb

To address this, Ivo uses a multi-step pipeline that chains together more than 400 model calls for each contract review. —

Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026 Tokyo Central is owned by Japanese company Pan Pacific Retail Management, which also runs the grocery chains Gelson’s and Don Quijote. —

John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025 Texas Roadhouse, which also operates casual dining chains Bubba’s 33 and Jaggers, is expected to report third-quarter results at the end of October. —

Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chains

Noun

His choreography, recreated from his work on the show, delivers big, bold, classic Broadway dance sequences that feel ripped from another era in the best way.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
Human video, once limited by missing physical signals, can now be mapped more effectively into actionable control sequences.

— Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026