26984 words

chain

21 definitions • 39 examples
1
a series of things of the same type connected in a line, or a series of people standing in a line:

Examples:

The synthetic polymer is a plastic composed of long chains of molecules.
As part of the centenary celebrations a chain of beacons was lit across the country.
Peace campaigners formed a chain around the military base.
2
a line of connected mountains:

Examples:

The Rockies are a mountain chain in North America.
These peaks are all part of the same Himalaya chain.
3
a set of connected events, usually where one causes the next:

Examples:

chain of events His resignation was followed by a remarkable chain of events.
In the story, a chain of cause and effect leads us on an emotional journey of two families.
break a chain Intervention like this can break the chain of debt and worry.
4
a group of shops, restaurants, hotels, or other businesses owned by the same company :

Examples:

The supermarket chain announced that it was cutting the cost of all its fresh and frozen meat.
She has built up a chain of 180 bookshops across the country.
5
(a length of) rings usually made of metal that are connected together and used for fastening, pulling, supporting, or limiting freedom, or as jewellery:

Examples:

The gates were locked with a padlock and a heavy steel chain.
Put the chain on the door if you are alone in the house.
Mary was wearing a beautiful silver chain around her neck.
6
another word for

Examples:

Bear in mind that you can only use chains where snow or ice protects the road surface from damage.
7
a series of metal rings that are attached to two posts, used in American football to measure the distance between two points on the field :

Examples:

The referees had to bring out the chains to determine if the ball carrier got a first down.
8
tied with chains:

Examples:

The hostages were kept in chains for 23 hours a day.
9
a fact or situation that limits a person's freedom:

Examples:

At last the country has freed itself from the chains of the authoritarian regime.
10
a situation in which someone selling a house cannot complete the sale because the person who wants to buy it needs to sell their house first:

Examples:

Some sellers refuse to exchange contracts with buyers who are in a chain.
11
to fasten someone or something using a chain:

Examples:

chain something up It's so cruel to keep a pony chained up like that all the time.
chain someone/something/yourself to something They chained themselves to lampposts in protest at the judge's decision.
12
to join objects together so that they form one long connected object:

Examples:

The beads are chained together in 7-foot lengths.
He succeeded in chaining together a long string of synthetic genes to re-create a portion of the DNA of a simple bacterium.
13
to connect things so that they happen together, one after another:

Examples:

The system allows you to send individual commands or chain them together.
These filters can be chained to each other to create sequences of filters.
be chained with The second operation may be chained with the first operation, or performed separately.
14
a length of metal rings that are connected together and used for fastening or supporting, and in machinery:

Examples:

She looped the chain around her bike and locked it to the fence.
15
A chain is also a length of connected rings worn as jewelry:

Examples:

Mary wore a silver chain around her neck.
16
a set of connected or related things:

Examples:

a mountain chain
a chain of supermarkets
That set in motion a chain of events that changed her life forever.
17
to tie or connect together with a chain:

Examples:

An old bicycle was chained to a post near the front door.
18
If you are chained to something, you work for long periods with it:

Examples:

I had no intention of spending my day chained to the stove.
19
a group of similar businesses, such as restaurants or hotels, which are all owned and controlled by the same organization:

Examples:

hotel/supermarket/fast-food chain The well-known fast-food chain has expanded to over 20,000 restaurants in 17 countries.
a chain of supermarkets/bookstores/department stores
20
a system of people, processes, or organizations that work together in a particular order:

Examples:

This unit examines the stages in the chain of production of tea, from the leaves in Sri Lanka to the cup in the UK.
chain of command/power/authority Employee complaints were taken all the way up the corporate chain of command.
21
a situation in which someone cannot complete the sale of their house because the person who wants to buy it needs to sell their house first:

Examples:

Some house sellers refuse to exchange contracts with buyers who are in a chain

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