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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

weak link

Regarded by some as a potential weak link in Spain's frontline before the World Cup, the 29-year-old striker has proved himself anything but.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

TORONTO—For decades, Canada’s military has been considered a weak link in NATO.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Putting has often been her weak link, but she gained more than three shots on the greens compared with the rest of the field and topped the statistical charts for scrambling.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

Her production of “Ragtime,” with its sumptuous score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, had nary a weak link in a cast of characters among the most expansive in the recent annals of musicals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025

They went over the route again—and spotted the weak link.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin