kink

American  

[kingk] / kɪŋk /

noun

kinks plural

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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verb

1. to form or cause to form a kink

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unkink
  verb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• kinks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kink

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

Explanation

A kink is a bend or a twist in an otherwise straight line, like a kink in a garden hose that blocks water from flowing freely. When something kinks, it bends to form a kink or curl — if your hair kinks in the rain, it gets tightly curly. You can also have a kink in your neck, a tight muscle that cramps painfully. Yet another kind of kink is a problem, complication, or weakness in a plan: "The major kink in her plan turned out to be that no one was interested in buying hand-knitted cat sweaters."

Example Sentences

But unlike other players who might have a kink in their swing or yips on the putting green, Korda hadn’t lost the mechanics that make her the envy of men’s and women’s players alike.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Enough time for a detail-oriented TV producer to spot that Salman, Pakistan's skipper, sported a kink in his collar.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

One absentee, however, will be Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who has been ruled out with a "kink in his back", according to the Norwegian ski federation.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

And now, his labrum surgery recovery has thrown another kink into those plans.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2024

Even though the red came from my father, the curls and kink came from my mom.

From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson

Related Words

• flaw
• hitch
• imperfection