chinks 1 of 2

plural of chink
1
as in backs
a vulnerable point before the tournament she studied tapes of her chief rival, looking for the chink in her game

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2
as in fissures
an irregular usually narrow break in a surface created by pressure plugged the chinks in the walls with mortar

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chinks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of chink
as in clinks
to make a repeated sharp light ringing sound in the breeze the flag's chain chinked against the flagpole

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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 chinks
Noun
The book is, in fact, a sober, evenhanded analysis of a field that, until recently, had few chinks in its armor. Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 The result is a fiery and impassioned offering that finds the veteran fully engaged and intent on proving no chinks have been left in his armor despite his tenuous back-and-forth with his Compton counterpart. Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 15 May 2026 Does the bazaar allow for chinks in the kind of class barriers that would usually exist? Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025 But after the break, the Americans started to find some chinks in the English armour. Peter Carline, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chinks
Noun
  • But the curve seems to settle at around 33, where even the most experienced of centre-backs lose appeal due to a drop-off in their physical capabilities and pace.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • There have been some amazing backs at San Diego State, but my main goal is to get wins.
    Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The pitched and often emotional vote over Proposition 40 exposed deep fissures in the state party over how to respond to growing grassroots anger over wealth inequality.
    Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • While effective in winning the war, the new government faced social and political fissures in the postwar period.
    Donovan Fifield, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
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
Noun
  • The most caustic people in the world often have the softest underbellies — at least if Alden Ehrenreich is playing them.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Cashmere is expensive because these goats produce a limited amount of this precious fiber, found on their underbellies, and the process of obtaining the wool is labor-intensive.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Star, staghorn, and elkhorn corals shelter schools of parrotfish, sergeant majors, and other tropical species, while moray eels peer out from crevices.
    Sarah Bruning, Travel + Leisure, 6 Aug. 2026
  • As the gas rapidly accumulates within these tiny crevices, the bubbles expand almost instantaneously and push the beverage violently out of the bottle to create a soda fountain, also called a geyser.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The comeback saga rings ever so true for those in the movie theater industry, and for those millions of moviegoers who love to watch dazzling images on the huge silver screens of theaters.
    Adam Aron, Variety, 29 July 2026
  • An old folk verse prices a simple life at two riyals for beans and one for bread — only half of that tune still rings true.
    Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 29 July 2026
Noun
  • Once Woll’s bratty vamp was through draining jugulars, the actress found a second signature role as Karen Page on Marvel’s Daredevil (2015–2018).
    Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In Vietnamese director Lê Bảo’s new film, an extended family confronts various rifts and estrangements in its ranks; years of silence must give way, slowly and haltingly, to communication.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Though his time stateside was ultimately nothing but positive, the star was initially fearful of cultural differences causing rifts.
    Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Chinks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chinks. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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