kink 1 of 2

noun

ˈkiŋk How to pronounce kink (audio)
Definition of kinknext
1
as in cramp
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 trick
an odd or peculiar habit the boss's fondness for nicknames is one of those kinks that staffers just have to put up with

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in whim
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

kink

2 of 2

verb

as in to loop

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Dissimilar 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 kink
Noun
As the wide receivers continue to work out the kinks, Sammis has been pleased with the progress of another position group. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 July 2026 The defense proves disruptive as the offense works out the kinks on the first day of training camp. — Tashan Reed, Washington Post, 29 July 2026
Verb
But Pillion’s relationship isn’t meant to be a model for how to do kink well. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026 Each attachment can connect to an extra-long, 22-foot hose that doesn’t kink, and is flexible enough to easily maneuver around obstacles and corners. — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for kink
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kink
  1. cramp
  2. trick
  3. whim
  4. loop
  5. stitch
  6. twist
  7. warp
  8. characteristic
Noun
  • Life advice Pregnancy can sometimes come with physical discomfort, such as hemorrhoids and leg cramps, as the body grows and changes.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Those infected with salmonella experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of cramp
Noun
  • Treister had a smart sense of humor, often performing magic tricks for anyone who would come over to his home, his family said.
    — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Layered background sighs, a resonant lead vocal, autumnal acoustic guitar flickers, synths both eerie and trippy—James has all his tricks on tap.
    — Ryan Leas, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of trick
Noun
  • Telling the world every thought and creative whim built him a following.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026
  • But an outdoor garden, no matter how beautiful and lovingly designed or how innovatively used in the menu, is susceptible to the whims of Miami’s humid, rainy, extraordinarily lengthy summers.
    — Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of whim
Verb
  • Around 250,000 people are expected to attend the seven-turn race, which will loop around the east end of the National Mall and run down Pennsylvania and Independence Avenues.
    — Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
  • To solve, loop one end of the string around the peg on the parabola with an x-coordinate of –3 (y = 9) and attach the other end of the string to a peg with an x-coordinate of 4 (y = 16).
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of loop
Noun
  • York’s arrest is the latest turn in a dramatic summer for the 49ers, who opened training camp last month with the news of a car crash 10 days prior that had left coach Kyle Shanahan with a concussion and dozens of stitches to his face.
    — Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The bandages, cuts and stitches were still fresh from the terrifying attack on Jones Street on Wednesday evening.
    — Tammy Mutasa, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of stitch
Noun
  • What an intriguing and clever twist on the classic bank heist narrative, with powerful female performances at its core by Carrie Crowley, Bríd Brennan and Eva-Jane Gaffney.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The smashburger was the same as always, juicy and full of cheese, and the dill and pickle in the Caesar salad brought a bright and refreshing twist to the classic.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of twist
Verb
  • Everyone who wants to travel into history must cross the most forbidding distance—that of time itself, and of the relentless power of the present to warp our views.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The film uses a jazzily Murdochian technique to examine how the whole world has been warped by tabloids.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of warp
Noun
  • According to the team, each of those characteristics plays out similarly in real fish of various sizes across different ecological niches.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
  • And most simulants of lunar material are faithful in their geological characteristics, to simulate the lunar surface and its dust, rather than the precise chemistry within.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of characteristic

Browse Nearby Words

king snakes
kink
kinked
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Cite this Entry

“Kink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kink. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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