chinks 1 of 2

plural of chink
1
as in backs
a vulnerable point before the tournament she studied tapes of her chief rival, looking for the chink in her game

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2
as in fissures
an irregular usually narrow break in a surface created by pressure plugged the chinks in the walls with mortar

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chinks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of chink
as in clinks
to make a repeated sharp light ringing sound in the breeze the flag's chain chinked against the flagpole

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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 chinks
Noun
The book is, in fact, a sober, evenhanded analysis of a field that, until recently, had few chinks in its armor. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 The result is a fiery and impassioned offering that finds the veteran fully engaged and intent on proving no chinks have been left in his armor despite his tenuous back-and-forth with his Compton counterpart. — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 15 May 2026 Does the bazaar allow for chinks in the kind of class barriers that would usually exist? — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025 But after the break, the Americans started to find some chinks in the English armour. — Peter Carline, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chinks
Noun
  • Three City Section running backs — Tru Warrior Casas of Fairfax, Ceasar Reyes of Garfield and Brandon Hernandez of Panorama — are going back and forth leading the state in rushing.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Restorers address common signs of wear and tear, such as drawer runners worn down by nearly two centimeters and drawer backs reduced to half their original thickness by decades of knives repeatedly striking the wood.
    — Tara Anne Dalbow, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Once moored, a boardwalk leads through old-growth forest to the fault itself, where ocean water is drawn in, heated up high and released through fissures in the rock.
    — Adrienne Matei, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Elsewhere, including in Veraguas province, large fissures ran along roadways.
    — Aris Mariota, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • As the bullet weight clinks and clacks along the bottom, bass will key in on your rig and follow it.
    — Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Each robot, remotely operated, clinks glasses and gestures in unison, embodying the camaraderie and hope of the musical’s revolutionaries.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The most caustic people in the world often have the softest underbellies — at least if Alden Ehrenreich is playing them.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Cashmere is expensive because these goats produce a limited amount of this precious fiber, found on their underbellies, and the process of obtaining the wool is labor-intensive.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Focus on the undersides of the leaves since aphids often hide out in those crevices.
    — Jane Kim, The Spruce, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Just like crevices in window frames, openings in door and window screens can invite a plethora of pests inside.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Much like a tuning fork, the resonator also rings when struck.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Well, that promise now rings hollow in the ears of every TSA worker today.
    — Hydrick Thomas, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Once Woll’s bratty vamp was through draining jugulars, the actress found a second signature role as Karen Page on Marvel’s Daredevil (2015–2018).
    — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • There’s a Christian minister, Michael Hare, who’s also a consultant to churches experiencing those rifts.
    — Margaret Wappler, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Recounting the disappearance of his sister Jade 20 years earlier, this text threatens to expose the lies, secrets and rifts within a group of friends bound forever by tragic events.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Chinks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chinks. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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