as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
I once spent a night in the clink, and it's an experience I don't want to repeat
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clink
Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Autumn arrives in a blaze of golden forests accompanied by the hearty clink of steins—as age-old tradition raise a toast.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
The photo, which is embedded above, shows the three leading ladies Kerry Washington, Elisabeth Moss and Kate Mara clinking glasses with cheerful looks on their faces.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clink
Noun
Behind the glass doors of an unassuming building in Manhattan, staring across a shuttered print shop, a shadowy world stirred, coming alive with the flick of cards, the muted clink of glasses and the quiet hum of a dangerous secret.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Autumn arrives in a blaze of golden forests accompanied by the hearty clink of steins—as age-old tradition raise a toast.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
The trek up the swinging staircase, twinkle lights clinking with each step, had my heart pounding for more reason than one.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
The photo, which is embedded above, shows the three leading ladies Kerry Washington, Elisabeth Moss and Kate Mara clinking glasses with cheerful looks on their faces.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clink
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clink
Noun
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He had been booked into the jail in late November on a probation violation warrant.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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She was booked into the county jail and released on $1,000 bond.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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School rules now insignificant—even to Walsh, who stands hands in his pockets, jingling his keys.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
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The bells that dangled off her red tunic jingled.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Four others indicted in the case were given sentences of as much as six years in prison, with one woman getting a 10-month sentence, suspended for three years.—
Debby Wu,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
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As part of Lololee’s deal, federal prosecutors agreed to recommend a prison term at the low end of the sentencing range, according to the court filing.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Amrava is the elegant bar in the courtyard of the Palace wing, with a tinkling fountain outside.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
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As a teen-ager listening to folk music in London pubs, I’d been attracted to the instrument’s nimble, tinkling cheerfulness, its being on the margins, not too demanding, perhaps.—
Tim Parks,
New Yorker,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Local flavor The Idaho Botanical Garden is located next to the penitentiary and boasts more than 30 acres of gardens.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
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The government opened the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz in 1934, hoping to use the remote island to house particularly difficult prisoners, according to the National Park Service.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The White House Correspondents' Dinner, an annual event that brings together top government officials and the journalists who cover them, descended into chaos on Saturday after shots rang out at the Washington Hilton.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
26 Apr. 2026
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The man filmed casually eating a salad as everyone else ducked for cover after shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is speaking out.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One of our challenges was thinking up a good chinking method that wouldn’t take an entire month.—
Tasha Zemke,
Outside Online,
24 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The majority, rather than being rattled by a president who had attempted a coup, labored to protect the country from the hypothetical danger of a presidency rendered impotent by specious criminal prosecutions.—
Gregg Nunziata,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
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Conflict in the Middle East is rattling energy markets, pushing up the cost of natural gas—the backbone of nitrogen fertilizer production—and exposing once again just how vulnerable farmers and families are to shocks beyond their control.—
Carlos Alvarado Quesada,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clink. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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