chinks 1 of 2

Definition of chinksnext
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
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
  • The club has a litany of center backs, with Glesnes joining Maya Yoshida, Emiro Garces and Chris Rindov.
    Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
  • Yet even as the coach was roundly criticized for his handling of the situation, UCLA’s players were insistent that Cronin still had their backs.
    Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Rupert Wyatt, the filmmaker behind Rise of the Planet of the Apes, was at the helm, exiting and returning to the project amid creative fissures.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Ice crystals—usually a hazard to vegetables—create small fissures in the surface.
    Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • Wipe thoroughly around the rubber seal with the dampened cloth, paying extra attention to any folds, seams, and hidden crevices.
    Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 21 Feb. 2026
  • The odor comes from food particles and bacteria trapped on the surface or in cracks and crevices.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 20 Feb. 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
  • The rifts among these friends—particularly between Lucas and Coppola—could be severe.
    Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Nicole Fallert here, bringing you the news to know on Wednesday, from lawmakers' rifts over ICE reforms to an ongoing search for Savannah Guthrie's mother.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • However, when considering the Chinese Communist Party’s national-level Military-Civil Fusion strategy, this restriction rings hollow.
    Jim Costa, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
  • Leeds fans will have seen this dozens of times over the years, when a manager rings the changes in the cup and the resulting performance is off-colour.
    Beren Cross, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Chinks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chinks. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.

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