1
as in cramps
a painful sudden tightening of a muscle
got a kink in my neck from lying in that awkward position for too long
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in tricks
an odd or peculiar habit
the boss's fondness for nicknames is one of those kinks that staffers just have to put up with
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in whims
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
whenever he got a kink in his head, he'd drop whatever he was doing to pursue this latest obsession
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 kinks
Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Steve Sarkisian is a great offensive mind, but opening up in Columbus against Ohio State doesn’t give you a lot of time to work out the kinks.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
The Knicks’ core remains intact, and these long trips are where bonds are forged and kinks get worked out.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2025
And in the time since the bankruptcy, Northvolt’s remaining staff have continued to work out engineering kinks in the facilities.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2025
The morning did not go off without a few kinks, though.
—Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
Through its ten episodes, The Paper works out some of its kinks, as so many freshman sitcoms do.
—Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Steve Sarkisian is a great offensive mind, but opening up in Columbus against Ohio State doesn’t give you a lot of time to work out the kinks.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
The Knicks’ core remains intact, and these long trips are where bonds are forged and kinks get worked out.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2025
And in the time since the bankruptcy, Northvolt’s remaining staff have continued to work out engineering kinks in the facilities.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2025
The morning did not go off without a few kinks, though.
—Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kinks
Noun
-
Symptoms of nicotine poisoning can include abdominal cramps, confusion, seizures, loss of consciousness, headache and vomiting.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Common symptoms of Vibrio infection include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, dangerously low blood pressure and blistering lesions.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
From sleight-of-hand tricks to daring stunts, the afternoon is designed to keep the laughs and gasps coming.—
Tiffani Jackson Skinner,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Even if your furry friend has already mastered the obedience basics, try adding some new party tricks to their command repertoire.—
Kelsey Monstrola,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Fed’s independence has been central to the United States’ role as the globe’s preeminent economic power; investors worldwide believe the central bank won’t act on a president’s whims.—
Jackie Calmes,
Mercury News,
30 Aug. 2025
-
This should be five-alarm fire for Wall Street, an institution that owes much of its success to the existence of a US monetary policy nerve center that is, by law and by tradition, insulated from the whims of any one party or politician.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Journalists, as a result, will have no trouble recognizing themselves in The Paper, which captures the quirks, jargon, and inside jokes of newsroom life while still delivering plenty of laughs amid the chaos.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The kooky characters surrounding Judge Stone included the conceited prosecutor Dan Fielding (John Larroquette), the imposing bailiff Bull Shannon (Richard Moll), and the idealistic public defender Christine Sullivan (Markie Post), each of whom had various quirks of their own.—
Dan Heching,
EW.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The answer depends entirely on subjective judgements, and people have wildly differing notions of what behaviors are appropriate.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Aug. 2025
-
The Gaza war shattered notions that, for years, have been activated on behalf of a peace-process mythology.—
Hussein Agha,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Mastantuono, 18, has the characteristics to contribute from a deeper position, but his signing was intended for more attacking areas, as is being seen.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Experts highlighted its clean aerodynamic profile and radar-evading shape, which suggest stealth characteristics comparable to leading US designs.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Given the vagaries of pitching at altitude at Coors Field, signing an accomplished veteran pitcher via free agency is unlikely.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
31 Aug. 2025
-
Drahi and his team wouldn’t be the first, or the last, corporate titans to trip and stumble in the vagaries of the art market.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The text, too, warps the truth.—
Jillian Steinhauer,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The massive object warps spacetime and thus the path of light from that background source.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kinks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kinks. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share