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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kinks
Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026
Students in the class this semester are redesigning the AI agent to smooth out some kinks, and Ipeirotis plans to use it in all his future classes.
—Jocelyn Gecker, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The Marlins started testing this strategy in the minors at the beginning of the 2025 season, working through the kinks before debuting it in the majors in mid-September.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Students in the class this semester are redesigning the AI agent to smooth out some kinks, and Ipeirotis plans to use it in all his future classes.
—Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
There are also some kinks to work out with Orion going forward.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Both are fairly common kinks, but that doesn’t mean people appreciated the way they were presented.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Apr. 2026
Work out some kinks, focus down.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Apr. 2026
Working through the kinks The Bruins’ offense was on its heels for most of the morning.
—Gabriel Duarte, Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
Noun
The Porter County Election Board worked through some minor kinks with the county’s new voting equipment during the election certification at noon on Friday in the tabulation room of the Elections & Registration Office.
—Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026
Students in the class this semester are redesigning the AI agent to smooth out some kinks, and Ipeirotis plans to use it in all his future classes.
—Jocelyn Gecker, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The Marlins started testing this strategy in the minors at the beginning of the 2025 season, working through the kinks before debuting it in the majors in mid-September.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Students in the class this semester are redesigning the AI agent to smooth out some kinks, and Ipeirotis plans to use it in all his future classes.
—Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
There are also some kinks to work out with Orion going forward.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Both are fairly common kinks, but that doesn’t mean people appreciated the way they were presented.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Apr. 2026
Work out some kinks, focus down.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Apr. 2026
Working through the kinks The Bruins’ offense was on its heels for most of the morning.
—Gabriel Duarte, Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kinks
Noun
-
Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, usually beginning six hours to six days after exposure.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
-
To complain about cramps was futile.—
Nami Mun,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
As his tricks progressed, the Young Man felt horrified and confused at the same time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
From that moment on, people in Cuba have been unable to access El Estornudo except through technological tricks like VPNs and proxies that alter their geolocation.—
Abraham Jiménez Enoa,
The Dial,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
The other flavors will be up to his weekly whims.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
The league has conformed to The King’s whims.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The children are all remembered for their quirks and love of family.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
-
One of the new quirks of the 2026 schedule involves Watkins Glen International, site of this weekend’s Cup Series race, shifting from its longstanding late summer date to Mother’s Day weekend.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Leave no pixel unturned, take no character for granted, and cast aside your notions of main quests versus side quests.—
Alex James Kane,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
This extends not only to their immediate objectives — finding safety, love and liberation — but to the more conceptual notions of their long-standing existence in Hindu societies, where they’re shouldered with a spiritual importance than can swiftly be stripped away.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
When startled, the snake coils its body into a figure-eight shape or raises its tail to mimic another head and confuse predators.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
-
Dry all surfaces completely and replace knobs, drip pans, and coils back on the stove.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
For decades, scientists debated whether these characteristics were primitive leftovers or later evolutionary reversals and this new research leans toward the first explanation.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
-
Each type of light fixture forms the same general structure, but with individual characteristics informed by the mercurial nature of glass.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
All four have the vagaries of fitness and form and the pressures of expectation to manage, but the more interesting thing about their presence in this tournament is how the balance of power could shift by its end.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
23 May 2026
-
The vagaries of the Civil War are also hard to intuit at times.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kinks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kinks. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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