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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
  • To have each other’s backs and support each other, no matter what.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 20 June 2026
  • After breaking through at Brighton under the Italian in 2023, Van Hecke is considered among the best ball-playing centre-backs in the Premier League.
    Elias Burke, New York Times, 20 June 2026
Noun
  • So, too, does the idea that a soccer coach could close fissures that even the well-meaning among career politicians have failed to seal.
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 18 June 2026
  • The group is particularly interested in suspending, fracturing, and reconstructing time through which othered bodies and identities pass, and in exploring the attendant emerging fissures.
    News Desk, Artforum, 17 June 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
  • Vacuum along baseboards, in mattress seams, and inside the crevices of upholstered furniture, too.
    Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 June 2026
  • The crevices may not be fully cleaned through the dishwasher.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • The thunderous cry rings out over a crowd gathered in front of a television propped up on plastic tables and past a maze of vendors lining a bustling working-class neighborhood in downtown Mexico City.
    Megan Janetsky, Fortune, 23 June 2026
  • The sentiment rings especially true for Northern Irish Christian Benjamin Dilworth, who embarked upon the Camino de Santiago pilgrim trail in May 2023 after being diagnosed with a rare chronic liver disease earlier that year.
    Mariam Amini, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 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 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chinks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chinks. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on chinks

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster