as in jails
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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Recent Examples of clinks
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinks
Noun
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Researchers centered their work on areas where Fulton County has direct responsibility—courts, jails, elections, libraries and public health.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Now, the island has 10 jails, and can house up to 17,000 prisoners, the city says.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Behind bars in state penitentiaries in Gatesville and Marlin, Mejia felt forgotten.—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
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The wave of prison violence is happening despite the deployment of military and police forces in several penitentiaries.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The Chinese government launched a brutal crackdown in Xinjiang starting in 2017, sweeping a million or more Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other predominantly Muslim ethnicities into prisons and internment camps.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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López Aliaga, the ultraconservative former mayor of Peru’s capital, Lima, focuses on a hard-line security agenda, proposing to build prisons in the country’s Amazon region, allowing judges to conceal their identities and expelling foreigners who are living illegally in Peru.—
Franklin Briceño,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The question was about coaching in general, but certainly rings true in the Heat’s case.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
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Norah feels celebrated and strengthened by its community, an ethos that rings true when Claire speaks about those around her.—
Julie Lin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump’s Iran threat rattles GOP as some Republicans break ranks.—
,
FOXNews.com,
8 Apr. 2026
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The threat rattles Reef and prompts him to apologize to all the major figures from his past whom he's offended or hurt over the years.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Some of us virtuously recycle items that will be transported across the world to smother island nations in single-use plastic bags and water bottles, milk jugs, yogurt tubs, pet food and potato chip bags, Styrofoam meat trays, Coke bottles, Amazon mailing envelopes, and fast-food wrappers.—
Caroline Fraser,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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The commodity can be found in everything from your shopping bags and milk jugs to detergent bottles and your kid’s toys.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This chimes with information from TankerTrackers, a maritime intelligence firm, which says 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude and 4 million barrels of Saudi crude exited the strait Saturday on board three supertankers.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2026
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The retreat from gold — which is traditionally seen as a key safe-haven asset in times of market turmoil — chimes with the ongoing risk-off sentiment in markets as the Iran conflict fuels concerns over inflation and rising energy prices.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Soft piano music intermingles with the tweeting of sparrows outside, and my nose tingles with the heady scent of leather mixed with the musty perfume of incense burning on the windowsill.—
Nicola Chilton,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clinks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinks. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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