1
as in sequences
a series of things linked together
the chain of events that led the American colonies to seek independence from Great Britain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in obstacles
something that makes movement or progress difficult
this community will grow and prosper only after it has thrown off the chains of ignorance and prejudice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in handcuffs
something that physically prevents free movement
chains on the prisoner's ankles
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in binds
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
chaining up the dog in the backyard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strings
to put or bring together so as to form a new and longer whole
the prosecutor meticulously and brilliantly chained all the evidence together in his closing argument
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chains
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
2 July 2026
The planned merger of Lotte Cinema and Megabox, South Korea’s second- and third-largest multiplex chains, has collapsed, ending a 14-month attempt to combine the two companies into the country’s biggest theatrical exhibitor.
—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
2 July 2026
Gas stations have been reinventing themselves for the past decade with food offerings that rival many established grub-only chains.
—
Kevin Williams,
CNBC,
2 July 2026
Smaller packages were also sold at convenience store chains like 7Eleven, according to Utz’s product locator.
—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
2 July 2026
Large-scale procurement systems and multi-layered logistics chains cannot respond at the speed these environments demand.
—
Yuriy Boyechko,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Some of them slapped strict limits on all gas stations; in others, gas station chains limited how much fuel could be bought.
—
ABC News,
1 July 2026
In a city already destabilized by unlawful tax foreclosure, fraudsters found opportunity in homes burdened by vacancy and broken chains of ownership.
—
Donovan McCarty,
The Conversation,
22 June 2026
They’ve been beaten with tire irons, bottles, planks, chains.
—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Tokyo Central is owned by Japanese company Pan Pacific Retail Management, which also runs the grocery chains Gelson’s and Don Quijote.
—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
3 Dec. 2025
Texas Roadhouse, which also operates casual dining chains Bubba’s 33 and Jaggers, is expected to report third-quarter results at the end of October.
—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
Lotte Shopping revealed in a corporate filing on Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding signed with Megabox parent company Contentree JoongAng to merge the two chains was terminated on June 30.
—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
2 July 2026
The planned merger of Lotte Cinema and Megabox, South Korea’s second- and third-largest multiplex chains, has collapsed, ending a 14-month attempt to combine the two companies into the country’s biggest theatrical exhibitor.
—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
2 July 2026
Gas stations have been reinventing themselves for the past decade with food offerings that rival many established grub-only chains.
—
Kevin Williams,
CNBC,
2 July 2026
Smaller packages were also sold at convenience store chains like 7Eleven, according to Utz’s product locator.
—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
2 July 2026
Large-scale procurement systems and multi-layered logistics chains cannot respond at the speed these environments demand.
—
Yuriy Boyechko,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Some of them slapped strict limits on all gas stations; in others, gas station chains limited how much fuel could be bought.
—
ABC News,
1 July 2026
In a city already destabilized by unlawful tax foreclosure, fraudsters found opportunity in homes burdened by vacancy and broken chains of ownership.
—
Donovan McCarty,
The Conversation,
22 June 2026
They’ve been beaten with tire irons, bottles, planks, chains.
—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Verb
To address this, Ivo uses a multi-step pipeline that chains together more than 400 model calls for each contract review.
—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Tokyo Central is owned by Japanese company Pan Pacific Retail Management, which also runs the grocery chains Gelson’s and Don Quijote.
—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
3 Dec. 2025
Texas Roadhouse, which also operates casual dining chains Bubba’s 33 and Jaggers, is expected to report third-quarter results at the end of October.
—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chains
Noun
-
Unsurprisingly, no player has been involved in more passing sequences leading to shots than the 24-year-old this summer, given complete freedom to roam and dictate attacks with his abilities on the ball.
-
Piercing the sterility of contemporary life with the disruptive transgression of eroticism, Silver’s film features dreamy fantasy sequences that interrupt and disrupt, drawing us expertly into its characters’ sensual and unusual interiority.
Noun
-
Crews can drive directly into rivers or lakes without installing additional equipment, allowing the vehicle to continue moving even when water obstacles stand in the way.
-
Remember, your perspective shapes your reality—choose to see opportunities over obstacles.
Noun
-
Once outside, paramedics determined that Martin had stopped breathing, removed his handcuffs and began CPR.
-
The suspect was then placed in handcuffs and taken into custody.
Verb
-
Making Connections And Mentoring Another thing going for region is the glue the binds much of it together - a thriving community of connectors and mentors based there offering programs to help early-stage deep tech startups scale up.
-
Phytic acid binds directly to HDAC3 and turns on its activity.
Verb
-
From Key Largo to Key West, the Overseas Highway strings the islands together like beads, running past lighthouses, underwater coral reef parks, and across the postcard-worthy Seven Mile Bridge.
-
Brown and her creative team have gotten caught up in adornment without capturing a deeper undertow that strings it all together.
Noun
-
The collision involved one of Sacramento Regional Transit’s newer low-floor light rail trains.
-
Amtrak canceled some trains in the Northeast due to excessive heat that could affect the tracks.
Noun
-
Ro said interactive chatbots have technological hurdles to overcome, such as a mismatch between their verbal comments and their facial expressions.
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Meanwhile, the technological and financial hurdles of fighting the sonic boom appeared insurmountable.
Noun
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This was most obvious during Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour, when brands capitalized on all things Taylor — friendship bracelets, themed drinks and even concert outfits.
-
Perhaps the finest demonstration of the craftsmanship is found in two articulated bracelets whose polished 18k gold scales remain perfectly smooth despite being set with diamonds or a combination of diamonds and pink sapphires.
Cite this Entry
“Chains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chains. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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