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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Cinemark and Regal among major chains have decided against their own sequel releases due to Netflix’s ultra-short two-week release window on offer, while AMC Theatres will screen the David Fincher film, starring Brad Pitt, on its Imax screens. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026 The light generates highly reactive chlorine radicals that activate carbon atoms along the polymer chains without destroying them. — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026 One such concern Cotton Incorporated wants to mitigate involves the prevalence of microplastics within apparel production chains. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026 One of the chains was DarkSword, an iOS exploit kit that Google researchers said customers of PARS Defense, a commercial surveillance vendor in Turkey, and at least two other threat actors have used. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 4 Nov. 2026 Consumer staples and discretionary stocks also rallied on the idea that a drop in energy prices will provide a relief to consumer wallets, allowing for more spending at retailers like TJX Companies and coffee chains like Starbucks . — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026 Media shares were a sea of green across broadcasters, cablers and theater chains. — Jillg366, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2026 The Associated Press noted in an article published in May that the number of cafés run by the six largest Yemeni coffee chains increased by 50% last year. — Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2026 Fewer than a quarter of new cases are coming from people known to have been in contact with an infected person, showing there are ongoing chains of transmission that health authorities are not aware of. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026

Verb

Other specialty markets, including the Asian grocery chains 99 Ranch Market and T&T Supermarket, are also expanding in Southern California. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Restaurant chains Chipotle and QDOBA pulled jalapeños last week. — Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026 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

The dedicated automation cell operates alongside the assembly process, allowing the team to gather real-time feedback and continuously improve manufacturing sequences.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026
Hampered by the low budget, the film’s war sequences don’t prove arresting.

— Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of sequences

Noun

The robot dogs use two LiDAR sensors and four fisheye cameras to spot obstacles and navigate their surroundings.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026
What to avoid Certain types of debt can create obstacles down the road.

— Jayna Rohslau,Jasmin Suknanan,Senitra Horbrook, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of obstacles

Noun

The man in handcuffs, shortly after being detained, became unresponsive, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
After following orders to walk backward and drop to his knees, he was placed in handcuffs and questioned by officers from Dunwoody and the neighboring community of Doraville.

— Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of handcuffs

Verb

Once lathered, the formula deploys papin, an enzyme that’s derived from papaya and helps dissolve the glue that binds dead skin cells.

— Deanna Pai, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
Researchers can tune a network’s structure using this self-adjusting behavior, which limits how many neighbors each particle binds to.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of binds

Verb

Antinous attempts to shrug off the token’s return, but seemingly recognizes it, and realizes in full that Odysseus has returned for revenge when the man strings his bow.

— Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
From Key Largo to Key West, the Overseas Highway strings the islands together like beads, running past lighthouses, underwater coral reef parks, and across the postcard-worthy Seven Mile Bridge.

— Sarah Rose, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2026

Definition of strings

Noun

Thankfully, that’s not the case (pun intended) with this travel jewelry case, which features dedicated compartments and sections for rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

— Jamie Allison Sanders, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2026
Borbonese was started in Turin, Italy, in 1910 under the ownership of Umberto Minestrone and Edoardo Calcagno, supplying necklaces, bracelets and other accoutrements to Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Fendi, Galitzine and Ungaro.

— Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026