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

Addressing Canal+‘s investment in UGC, one of France’s top exhibition chains, Saada sought to downplay suggestions of an imminent takeover while leaving the door open to a future acquisition. —

Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 18 May 2026 The drinks are also sold at smaller chains and independent stores, including Lazy Acres, Rainbow Acres and Happier Grocery in New York City. —

Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 18 May 2026 The org chart built around coordination, approval chains, and information gatekeeping was engineered for a world where building was slow and expensive. —

Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026 The incidents involving contact with chains, trailer hitches, poles, and curbs indicate recurring limitations in detecting smaller or irregular obstacles, especially during reversing maneuvers. —

Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 16 May 2026 Cars can be rented from national chains at both Hilo and Kona airports, and through car-sharing apps such as Turo. —

Kait Hanson, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2026 Justin Sullivan | Getty Images From Domino’s Pizza to Applebee’s, restaurant chains are reporting that sales softened in March as gas prices spiked. —

Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 11 May 2026 In this design, the gold metal curtain rods match the gold chains on the chandelier and complement the green accents beautifully. —

Macie Stump, Southern Living, 10 May 2026 Before being taken to the new jail, those being held were placed in handcuffs, waist chains and leg restraints. —

Kansas City Star, 10 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 important tool in early natural-language-processing work was ranking the frequency of word sequences.

— Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
The material, known as SAM, combines protein sequences derived from mussels, spider silk and amyloids, proteins capable of forming strong fibrous structures.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 18 May 2026