as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
I once spent a night in the clink, and it's an experience I don't want to repeat
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clink
Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Autumn arrives in a blaze of golden forests accompanied by the hearty clink of steins—as age-old tradition raise a toast.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
The photo, which is embedded above, shows the three leading ladies Kerry Washington, Elisabeth Moss and Kate Mara clinking glasses with cheerful looks on their faces.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clink
Noun
Behind the glass doors of an unassuming building in Manhattan, staring across a shuttered print shop, a shadowy world stirred, coming alive with the flick of cards, the muted clink of glasses and the quiet hum of a dangerous secret.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Autumn arrives in a blaze of golden forests accompanied by the hearty clink of steins—as age-old tradition raise a toast.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
The trek up the swinging staircase, twinkle lights clinking with each step, had my heart pounding for more reason than one.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
The photo, which is embedded above, shows the three leading ladies Kerry Washington, Elisabeth Moss and Kate Mara clinking glasses with cheerful looks on their faces.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clink
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clink
Noun
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Mueller, whom Northside ISD placed on leave, remained in the Bexar County jail on $95,000 bail and faced up to life in prison if convicted.—
JJ Velasquez,
San Antonio Express-News,
3 May 2026
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Mengtong / China News Service/VCG via Getty Images The restrictions have prevented Allen from communicating with anyone besides his legal team, as well as accessing the commissary or resources such as jail tablets, the filing states.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Verb
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The hiker then begins jingling bells in the bear's face in an attempt to scare it off, but the bear charges forward.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
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School rules now insignificant—even to Walsh, who stands hands in his pockets, jingling his keys.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Or worse, to turn it into a sort of prison sentence.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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The rights lawyer fainted twice in prison on Friday in the northwestern city of Zanjan, her foundation said, and was admitted to a local hospital.—
Adam Schreck,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Amrava is the elegant bar in the courtyard of the Palace wing, with a tinkling fountain outside.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
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As a teen-ager listening to folk music in London pubs, I’d been attracted to the instrument’s nimble, tinkling cheerfulness, its being on the margins, not too demanding, perhaps.—
Tim Parks,
New Yorker,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Local flavor The Idaho Botanical Garden is located next to the penitentiary and boasts more than 30 acres of gardens.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
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The government opened the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz in 1934, hoping to use the remote island to house particularly difficult prisoners, according to the National Park Service.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The doorbell rang, and two more girls arrived, piling onto the couch.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Yelling and screaming follow, then more gunshots ring out.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
Verb
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One of our challenges was thinking up a good chinking method that wouldn’t take an entire month.—
Tasha Zemke,
Outside Online,
24 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The majority, rather than being rattled by a president who had attempted a coup, labored to protect the country from the hypothetical danger of a presidency rendered impotent by specious criminal prosecutions.—
Gregg Nunziata,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
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Conflict in the Middle East is rattling energy markets, pushing up the cost of natural gas—the backbone of nitrogen fertilizer production—and exposing once again just how vulnerable farmers and families are to shocks beyond their control.—
Carlos Alvarado Quesada,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clink. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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