1
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
a documentary that had such clinkers as a reference to Iran as an Arab nation
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2
as in disaster
something that has failed
all of the toy company's new offerings for the Christmas season proved to be clinkers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clinker
But there are no outright clinkers in the bunch, either.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
Take 419, which is one of two made of nubby clinker brick, a medieval look that matches the Gothic arches over the main entrance and the door to a maisonette.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Aug. 2025
Consequently, clinker quality can be stabilised to allow operators to substitute more of the carbon‑intensive clinker with supplementary cementitious materials, such as slag or fly ash, without compromising strength.
—Ankit Mishra, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
At the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Karen Scrivener and colleagues developed cements that blend calcined kaolin clay and ground limestone with a small portion of clinker.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clinker
Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
Take 419, which is one of two made of nubby clinker brick, a medieval look that matches the Gothic arches over the main entrance and the door to a maisonette.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Aug. 2025
Consequently, clinker quality can be stabilised to allow operators to substitute more of the carbon‑intensive clinker with supplementary cementitious materials, such as slag or fly ash, without compromising strength.
—Ankit Mishra, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
At the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Karen Scrivener and colleagues developed cements that blend calcined kaolin clay and ground limestone with a small portion of clinker.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clinker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinker
Noun
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And it's allowed for a lot of mistakes.—
Alex Crippen,
CNBC,
11 Apr. 2026
-
In some cases, that décor mistake can inadvertently make a space feel cluttered.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Use a bag bungee Trying to balance a travel tote on top of a rolling suitcase is a disaster waiting to happen, especially when navigating crowded terminals.—
Samantha Leal,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Apr. 2026
-
When the smoke alarm stayed silent, one very loud dog made sure his family didn’t sleep through a disaster.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Yet technology experts warn that outsourcing key decisions to AI exposes consumers to risks, potentially leading to communications errors and costing people money, while also potentially handing hackers the keys to their data.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Nurses at the hospital continue to report staffing issues and high turnover rates while saying medication errors and delays in patient care are continuing to occur.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Investigators said pressure from a nearby metal pipe increased stress underground and caused the failure.—
Lexi Salazar,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Not if, but when coastal conditions change, the city currently retains the ability to reinforce unstable areas or adjust alignments, maintaining continuous access for residents and the public, similar to Coast Walk Trail realignment in 2016 following a trail failure.—
Letters To The Editor,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Several real estate blunders exacerbated the situation.—
Harvey Levine,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
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Gabriel and Zubimendi played costly blind passes against Bournemouth and Manchester United in January, Rice had his moment of madness away to Spurs in February, and even David Raya had a rare blunder away to Wolves.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The scene is set (and was actually filmed) on the Gaza border, and the characters kiss while real Israeli bombs hit their targets.—
Andrew Lapin,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2026
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North Korea also conducted a series of tests last week that state media said involved various new weapons systems, including ballistic missiles armed with cluster-bomb warheads, while its senior officials issued statements ridiculing South Korean hopes for warmer relations.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Twelve students, including Brendan LaFave, the high-achieving kid from Ann Arbor, live in the three-story brown-brick house, which has white columns along its wide front porch.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
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Irvine police arrested a man accused of stealing $34,000 worth of high-end Lego sets and replacing the plastic bricks with pieces of dry pasta.—
Michele Gile,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The rain will not be a washout, but rather a series of brief showers continuing through the morning hours.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
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After 48 years of unsuccessful politicking, one might be tempted to call the idea of indexing capital gains a certified washout.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinker. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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