chain
noun OPAL WOPAL S
/tʃeɪn/
/tʃeɪn/
Idioms 
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enlarge image[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 ExamplesTopics Clothes and Fashionb1- 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
- a chain of command (= a system in an organization by which instructions are passed from one person to another)
- 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.
- I was next in the chain of command.
- 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 ExamplesTopics Shoppingb1- 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
a 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.