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

In an attempt to stabilize their attendance base, chains like Six Flags have started to offer all-parks passes to give visitors access to all 42 of their parks and cut into some of the destination market. —

HubSpot, 1 June 2026 The study also factors in varying fees paid by different types of retailers, with major chains often able to negotiate lower fees with the credit card companies. —

Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 1 June 2026 Rachel Howard, senior technical emergency health advisor at the IRC, said only about 20% of contacts are currently being traced, meaning that health authorities are struggling to identify and isolate new chains of transmission. —

Will Gretsky, ABC News, 1 June 2026 The growth plan comes as restaurants compete for a smaller pool of customers, and a new crop of chains, including Raising Cane’s and 7 Brew Drive Thru Coffee, threaten McDonald’s sales. —

Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 1 June 2026 Several chains also are offering discounts or other deals with a purchase. —

Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 1 June 2026 Prevent sparks by ensuring trailer chains do not drag on roadways and avoiding parking hot equipment on dry grass. —

Nick Lentz, CBS News, 31 May 2026 Smaller chains can’t compete well in the price wars. —

Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026 The theory is that a flat organization boosts agility by shortening decision chains and putting leaders closer to frontline employees and the customer experience. —

Claire Zillman, Fortune, 30 May 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

One of my favorite sequences to do was the Bullseye versus Fake Bullseye in Episode 8.

— Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
There were a lot of montage sequences that didn’t make the final cut, simply because of time.

— Carita Rizzo, Deadline, 1 June 2026