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

I, like many others, thought he would be the weak link against City, and expected Erling Haaland to get away from him and score.

From BBC • Nov. 25, 2024

But to be effective, there cannot be any weak link in the defense.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2024

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