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 the 30 years since the program began, it has been implemented by a number of states and nationwide retail chains, and is now mandatory in all federal office buildings. —

Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 11 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 The calendar only recently flipped from April to May, however fast food and coffee chains, including Starbucks, are already looking ahead to summer. —

Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 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 For Naperville, Brandy Melville is the latest in a series of retail chains that have moved into the city’s downtown. —

Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026 Peptides are short chains of amino acids. —

Jane Yoo, EverydayHealth.com, 8 May 2026 MarketBeat, a financial media company, surveyed 3,014 respondents (45+) to uncover which defunct chains Rhode Islanders most want to see make a comeback. —

Will Richmond, The Providence Journal, 8 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

Its AlphaFold system, which predicts the structure of proteins from their amino acid sequences, helped scientists better understand the virus that causes COVID-19 and contributed to advances in protein-structure prediction that were recognized with the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

— Alison Eldridge, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 May 2026
At the time of the interviews, neither group had compared its sequences to those generated by the other group.

— Helen Branswell, STAT, 11 May 2026