chain gang

American  

noun

1. a group of convicts chained together, especially when working outside.

---

chain gang British  

noun

1. a group of convicted prisoners chained together, usually while doing hard labour

---

Etymology

Origin of chain gang

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

“And he said, ‘I listen to scratchy vinyl records of chain gangs from the ’20s and ’30s and it’s so haunting.

From Los Angeles Times

“My first inspiration was the blues, but I realized I couldn’t write about freight trains and chain gangs,” he said in a 2013 interview with the London-based music magazine Uncut.

From New York Times

The next year, he joined fellow organizers in protesting segregation in Rock Hill, S.C., where he was arrested and refused bail, serving 30 days of hard labor on a chain gang.

From Washington Post

Based on a series of fantasy books by the Japanese author Nahoko Uehashi, the animated film “The Deer King” opens on a chain gang of enslaved people forced to labor in a salt mine.

From New York Times

After a trial in Orange County, the four men were convicted and sentenced to serve on a chain gang.

From Seattle Times