weak link

Idioms

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Italy is Europe’s weak link when it comes to energy because it is so dependent on energy imports.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

Thus, Roberts had to look elsewhere among a relief corps that had been the weak link of the team all season.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2025

They are just looking for a weak link, he tells Panorama.

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2025

When one comes to think of it there may have been a weak link in Lancelot’s mind.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023