kink

[ kingk ]

noun

1. a twist or curl, as in a thread, rope, wire, or hair, caused by its doubling or bending upon itself:

   The kink in the hose was restricting the water flow.

2. a muscular stiffness or soreness, as in the neck or back:

   The kink in my neck was making it difficult to turn my head at all.

3. a flaw or imperfection likely to hinder the successful operation of something, such as a machine or plan:

   There are still a few kinks to be worked out of the design before we start production.

4. Slang.
   1. unconventional sexual preferences or behavior collectively.
   2. a particular sexual preference or behavior that is unconventional.
   3. a person characterized by such preferences or behavior; kinkster.
5. a mental twist; notion; whim.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to form or cause to form a twist or curl, as in a rope:

   The high tensile steel wire ensures the product will not kink in the sharpest bend.

kink

/ kɪŋk /

noun

1. a sharp twist or bend in a wire, rope, hair, etc, esp one caused when it is pulled tight
2. a crick in the neck or similar muscular spasm
3. a flaw or minor difficulty in some undertaking or project
4. a flaw or idiosyncrasy of personality; quirk
5. informal.
   a sexual deviation
6. a clever or unusual idea

verb

1. to form or cause to form a kink

Other Words From

• un·kink verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of kink¹

First recorded in 1670–80; from Dutch: “a twist in a rope”; perhaps akin to kick ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of kink¹

C17: from Dutch: a curl in a rope; compare Middle Low German kinke kink, Old Norse kinka to nod

Example Sentences

Musk acknowledged that not all of the kinks have been worked out of the planned battery improvements.

From Fortune

While Apple is still working through some kinks that have allowed third-party cookies to work in some instances when the feature is switched on, all browsers on iOS and iPad OS will have ITP switched on by the end of the year.

From Digiday

This, combined with the fact that you’re yanking on random stuff, causes kinks in the cable, which make it even less friendly to wind.

From Popular-Science

Despite some kinks, the text predictor is already really good.

From Search Engine Watch

The story doesn’t quite end there though, because stellar history has some curious kinks in it, associated with the actual formation of stars in the first place.

From Nautilus

Indeed--she has helped educate the world on the titillating culture of kink.

From The Daily Beast

In 2011, Rihanna vocalized her own taste for kink in her hit single SM.

From The Daily Beast

On the one hand, she was anxious about her colleagues knowing about her kink.

From The Daily Beast

Those needs varied depending on where respondents were in the kink universe.

From The Daily Beast

Sometimes she sees clients who are ambivalent about their kink identities.

From The Daily Beast

Every pull in the shoulders, every hitch in the back, every kink in the sleeves makes me a profound materialist.

From Project Gutenberg

There resulted a kink in his nature, a contradiction that appears repeatedly, not only in his life, but in his writings.

From Project Gutenberg

He stood up straight, throwing back his shoulders to take the kink out of them.

From Project Gutenberg

Short by comparison with the English cat, thin throughout, a little thicker towards the base, without any break or kink.

From Project Gutenberg

First the pack, as packs sometimes will for no visible reason, developed a kink that galled his shoulders obstinately.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• flaw
• hitch
• imperfection