Link

/lɪŋk/

nounBeginner🔥Very CommonGeneral
2 meanings2 idioms/phrases3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

A connection, relationship, or association between two or more things.

/lɪŋk/

nounneutralBeginner
General

A connection between two things.

The two studies showed a clear link between smoking and lung cancer.

💡 Simply: Imagine a chain. Each piece of the chain is a link. It's how things are connected, like a road that links two cities or a button on a website that takes you to another page.

👶 For kids: It's like a bridge or a road. It connects two things together, like the links in a chain.

More Examples

2

I sent you a link to the online article.

3

The missing link in the investigation was the eyewitness account.

How It's Used

Technology

"Click on the link to visit the website."

Social Sciences

"There is a strong link between poverty and crime."

Physical Objects

"The chain is made of individual links."

2

To make a connection between two or more things; to join or connect.

/lɪŋk/

verbneutralBeginner
Technology

To connect or join things.

Please link the two documents.

💡 Simply: It's like holding hands or connecting the dots. Linking is about joining things together, like your social media accounts, or two pages on the internet.

👶 For kids: It's like holding hands to connect with someone. Or, like putting two toys next to each other so they become friends!

More Examples

2

The article links to other related websites.

3

The parents linked their arms and walked in front of their children.

How It's Used

Technology

"The website links to many different resources."

Social

"They linked arms and walked down the street."

Biology

"The genes are closely linked."

Tip:Imagine hooking up two train carriages: you are linking them.

Idioms & expressions

the missing link

Something that is missing and needed to complete or understand something.

"The police are searching for the missing link in the case."

chain of links

A series of connections.

"There is a chain of links that connects all the events."

From Old Norse *hlekkr* meaning 'a link, chain', related to 'to lie' referring to a joint or connection.

Used in Middle English with a similar meaning to its modern usage, often referring to a chain or connection.

Memory tip

Think of a chain: each metal ring (link) connects to the next.

Word Origin

LanguageOld Norse
Original meaning

"a link, chain"

a strong linka direct linka crucial linkestablish a linkprovide a linkmissing link

Common misspellings

linglinck

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written