weakest link

British

noun

the person who is making the least contribution to the collective achievement of the group

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of weakest link

C20: from the British television quiz of the same name

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.

Romesh Ranganathan, meanwhile, will host a Weakest Link special.

From BBC

Despite her increasingly public profile, fans were surprised to see the singer pop up on BBC quiz show The Weakest Link earlier this month.

From BBC

“Markets are looking for the weakest link out there.”

From Barron's

"He'll continue to harm British interests no matter how compliant we are and, like all bullies, he will always find the weakest link."

From BBC

"According to the stewards and the police, I was always picked on because I was the weakest link," said Haroun, who graduated from Manchester Art College.

From BBC

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