- [countable, uncountable] a series of connected metal rings, used for pulling or fastening things; a length of chain used for a particular purpose
- She wore a heavy gold chain around her neck.
- The mayor wore his chain of office.
- a bicycle chain
- in chains The prisoners were kept in chains (= with chains around their arms and legs, to prevent them from escaping).
- on a chain They kept the dog on a chain all day long.
- a short length of chain
Extra Examples- Let the dog off its chain.
- The prisoner was led away in chains.
- Put the chain on the door (= so the door can only be opened a little bit) before you go to bed.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- heavy
- thin
- gold
- …
- length
- pull
- pull at
- yank
- …
- clank
- in chains
- off somebody’s/the chain
- on a/the chain
- …
- a chain of office
- a chain on the door
- a link in the chain
- …
- [countable] a series of connected things or people
- mountain/island chains
- Volunteers formed a human chain (= line of people) to rescue precious items from the burning house.
- chain of somebody/something to set in motion a chain of events
- Our suppliers are the weakest link in the chain.
Extra Examples- Volunteers formed a human chain to pass buckets of water to each other.
- She was personally involved in this chain of events.
- It's important to make sure the chain of communication is not broken.
- If any part of the chain of infection is broken, the spread of the disease will be stopped.
- the complex chain of events that led to the war
- Middlemen are important links in the chain.
- There has been an unbroken chain of great violinists in the family.
- The people formed a human chain to pass the supplies up the beach.
- a chain of volcanic islands
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- long
- complex
- unbroken
- …
- break
- reaction
- letter
- a chain of command
- a chain of events
- [countable] a group of shops or hotels owned by the same company
- a supermarket/hotel/retail chain
- chain of something a chain of stores/shops/restaurants
Extra Examples- a chain of department stores
- a chain of clothes shops
- This hotel is part of a large chain.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- large
- major
- …
- store
- chain of
- part of a chain
- [countable, usually plural] (formal or literary) a thing that limits somebody’s freedom or ability to do something
- the chains of fear/misery
- [countable, usually singular] (British English) a situation in which a number of people selling and buying houses must each complete the sale of their house before buying from the next personTopics Houses and homesc2
metal rings
connected things
of shops/hotels
restriction
in house buying
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French chaine, chaeine, from Latin catena ‘a chain’.
Idioms
See chain in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee chain in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englisha ball and chain
- a problem that prevents you from doing what you would like to do
- The responsibility was a ball and chain around my ankle.
a link in the chain
- one of the stages in a process or a line of argument
- Food production, processing and marketing are different links in the chain from farmer to consumer.
- Death is the last link in the chain.
the weak link (in the chain)
- the point at which a system or an organization is most likely to fail
- She went straight for the one weak link in the chain of his argument.
Check pronunciation:
chain