link

¹ American  

[lingk] / lɪŋk /

noun

1. one of the rings or separate pieces of which a chain is composed.

2. anything serving to connect one part or thing with another; a bond or tie.

   The locket was a link with the past.

   Synonyms:

   connective, connection

3. a unit in a communications system, as a radio relay station or a television booster station.

4. any of a series of sausages in a chain.

5. a cuff link.

6. a ring, loop, or the like.

   a link of hair.

7. Also called hyperlink.  Digital Technology.

   1. an object, as text or graphics, linked through hypertext to a document, another object, etc..

      Click on the link below to read the full article.

   2. the connection between elements linked by hypertext, or the code or tag content required to make such a connection.

      The website was full of broken links, typos, and images that failed to load.

8. Surveying, Civil Engineering.

   1. (in a surveyor's chain) a unit of length equal to 7.92 inches (20.12 centimeters).

   2. one of 100 rods or loops of equal length forming a surveyor's or engineer's chain.

9. Chemistry. bond.

10. Machinery. a rigid, movable piece or rod, connected with other parts by means of pivots or the like, for the purpose of transmitting motion.

    Synonyms:

    pin, tie, bind, fasten, conjoin, league, bond

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verb (used with or without object)

• links,
  present (3rd person singular)
• linked,
  past participle,  past
• linking
  present participle

1. to join by or as if by a link or links; connect (often followed byup ).

   The new bridge will link the island to the mainland.

   The company will soon link up with a hotel chain.

2. Digital Technology. to create digital connections between web pages or between elements on web pages using hypertext, or to have such links on or to a web page or electronic document.

   The page is linked to my online store.

   The essay links to three of my published articles.

link ² American  

[lingk] / lɪŋk /

noun

1. a torch, especially of tow and pitch.

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link ¹ British  

/ lɪŋk /

noun

1. (formerly) a torch used to light dark streets

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link ² British  

/ lɪŋk /

noun

1. any of the separate rings, loops, or pieces that connect or make up a chain

2. something that resembles such a ring, loop, or piece

3. a road, rail, air, or sea connection, as between two main routes

4. a connecting part or episode

5. a connecting piece in a mechanism, often having pivoted ends

6. Also called: radio link.  a system of transmitters and receivers that connect two locations by means of radio and television signals

7. a unit of length equal to one hundredth of a chain. 1 link of a Gunter's chain is equal to 7.92 inches, and of an engineer's chain to 1 foot

8. computing short for hyperlink

9. an unreliable person or thing within an organization or system

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verb

1. (often foll by up) to connect or be connected with or as if with links

2. (tr) to connect by association, etc

link Scientific  

/ lĭngk /

1. A segment of text or a graphical item that serves as a cross-reference between parts of a webpage or other hypertext documents or between webpages or other hypertext documents.

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Synonym Usage

See bond ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• linker
  noun
• linkable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• linking
  present
• linked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• link
  simple
• links
  simple
• have linked
  perfect
• has linked
  perfect
• am linking
  progressive
• are linking
  progressive
• is linking
  progressive
• have been linking
  perfect progressive
• has been linking
  perfect progressive

Past

• linked
  simple
• had linked
  perfect
• was linking
  progressive
• were linking
  progressive
• had been linking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will link
  simple
• will have linked
  perfect
• will be linking
  progressive
• will have been linking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of link¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English link(e), of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Swedish lænker “chain”; cognate with Old Norse hlekkr “link” (plural, “chain”), from hlenkr (unattested); related to Old English hlence “coat of chain mail,” akin to German Gelenk “joint, link”

Origin of link²

First recorded in 1520–30; perhaps special use of link ¹; the torches so called may have been made of strands twisted together in chainlike form

Explanation

Before it was the universal word for traveling around the Internet, link was just a connection or a device that connects things, like the links in a chain. Much of what humans do in their day-to-day life involves looking for links — or relationships between people and things. When there is a link, that means two things are connected — such as "the link between smoking and lung cancer." Some people even create links, like butchers who make sausage links and website developers who hyperlink the sites you visit to ensure that you spend far too much time clicking around the Web.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

link links linked linking

Brazil has in recent months sought to boost protections for children online, obliging platforms to link the accounts of users under age 16 to their parents' accounts, and verify user age.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Understanding this link between craving and consuming is central to understanding addiction.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

My lamp is a French antique with a heavy iron chain link as its base.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

“It is the key company doing all the transformation of the U.K. power grid to link up all the renewables coming from the North Sea,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

It would take two important developments in mathematics before the true link was uncovered.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

While a link between the lateral septum and another region called the hypothalamus is probably responsible for septal rage, the lateral septum links with many other regions with various functions.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

“As AI compute workloads increase in both speed and bandwidth, data-center architects are turning to optical links as a primary means of connectivity,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

He also attracted considerable interest from the Australian media, given his mother's links to the city and the prospect of representing the national team in the future, despite playing for England Under-17s.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Fabrizio Foschini, a researcher at the Afghanistan Analysts Network, said during earlier decades of war "mining mainly benefited insurgent groups, including the Taliban, and local strongmen with links to corrupt government officials".

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

Will the carloads and boxloads of links keep coming?

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

United have been linked with a move for Newcastle's Lewis Hall, but accept it would be difficult to sign him, particularly after the departures of Sandro Tonali and Guimaraes from the club.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

France on Wednesday recorded a more than 20 percent shortfall in nuclear power production capacity, a record deficit caused by environmentally related outages linked to drought, extreme heat and a jellyfish invasion.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

As for the rising term premium, Rosenberg attributed it to growing uncertainty linked to the still-unresolved conflict in Iran.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

In South Australia, a devastating algal bloom linked to marine heat conditions has also been associated with numerous health problems in coastal communities.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

Some of its great achievements had a decisive influence on Greek and Roman art, and thus we can still feel ourselves linked to the Egypt of 5,000 years ago by a continuous, living tradition.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

Health-conscious techies are linking biometric and personal data to AI chatbots to build hyper-personalized health coaches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Amazon also hiked its capital expenditures estimate during the second quarter, linking memory prices to the AI buildout, CEO Andy Jassy told CNBC.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

A seamless grid of autobahns and high speed rail linking a transnational union no longer scarred by checkpoints and exit visas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Strong demand for networks linking data centres has helped manufacturers secure contracts once considered out of reach.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

They plan innumerable journeys across country for the fun of linking up impossible connections.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Related Words

• associate
• attach
• bind
• combine
• hook up
• identify
• join
• relate
• tie
• unite