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 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
  • Cerise red fabric on the doors, dash and seat backs.
    Mark Phelan, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
  • The running backs should again be fast and shifty, led by juniors Kameron Lee, Elijah McCluster, a transfer from East River, sophomore Bennie Johnson and senior Duante Wallace.
    Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • These remarks arrive as a wave of retirements threaten the party's razor-thin House majority, compounding existing fissures over policy and strategy under Johnson.
    Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2025
  • Red glowing fissures opened across Hawkins, connecting in front of the town's public library.
    Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
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
  • Reach the deep, dark crevices your child’s car seat with this handheld cordless vacuum that’s a whopping 80% off.
    Katrina Cossey, Parents, 2 July 2025
  • This daring animal navigated her group deftly through the sharp peaks and crevices of the stone forest, resulting in the immortalization of this leap.
    Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
Verb
  • Is there a palpable authenticity that rings true?
    Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 June 2026
  • Kyle Mulholland, the bartender, rings the bar’s bell, and the lights flicker as everyone cheers again and goes to close out their tabs.
    Jeremy Rellosa, Curbed, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • The shock departure deepens Starmer’s political woes, exposing cabinet rifts with the Treasury over defense priorities and fueling Labour unrest and speculation that his grip on power is slipping.
    Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
  • The breastfeeding billing battle UnitedHealthcare is cutting back on paying for lactation counseling, and the clinicians who provide those services are up in arms, another example of the deepening rifts between providers and insurers.
    Bob Herman, STAT, 8 June 2026
Verb
  • As the hotel’s doorman, complete with top hat and tails, opens the door to its opulent lobby and a piano player tinkles keys in the distance, that dream solidifies into reality.
    Rob LeDonne, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Mar. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Chinks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chinks. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.

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