weak link

Idioms  

1. The least dependable member of a group, as in The shipping department, slow in getting out orders, is our weak link in customer service, or They're all very capable designers except for Ron, who is clearly the weak link. This expression alludes to the fragile portion of a chain, where it is most likely to break. [Mid-1800s]

---

Example Sentences

While private-equity deals and asset sales are continuing the recovery begun last year, fundraising remains the weak link.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Fundraising, however, remains the weak link in private-equity’s recovery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

“Not having a weak link is critical,” Harbaugh said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2024

Kai Havertz has gone from being perceived as the weak link in Arsenal's line-up by many to being the player who could make the difference for them at the critical point of the season.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2024

This weak link is made even weaker by glancing back to a recent decade, the 1960s, when the economy went on a wild growth spurt—as did violent crime.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt