What does "kink" mean?
A convulsive fit of coughing or laughter; a sonorous indraft of breath; a whoop; a gasp of breath caused by laughing, coughing, or crying.
Kink
/kɪŋk/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A convulsive fit of coughing or laughter; a sonorous indraft of breath; a whoop; a gasp of breath caused by laughing, coughing, or crying.
- Grammar: kink is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: twist, aberration, abnormality, acute pain.
- Useful contrasts: smooth operation, straighten, straightness.
- Usage evidence: The water stopped running because the hose has a kink in it.
How to use "kink"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "kink" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "kink" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "kink" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "kink" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "kink" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "twist" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "kink", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A convulsive fit of coughing or laughter; a sonorous indraft of breath; a whoop; a gasp of breath caused by laughing, coughing, or crying. Scotland, dialectal
- 2 A tight curl, twist, or bend in a length of thin material, hair etc. countable, uncountable
"We couldn't get enough water to put out the fire because of a kink in the hose."
- 3 a difficulty or flaw in a plan or operation wordnet
- 4 A difficulty or flaw that is likely to impede operation, as in a plan or system. countable, uncountable
"They had planned to open another shop downtown, but their plan had a few kinks."
- 5 an eccentric idea wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 An unreasonable notion; a crotchet; a whim; a caprice. countable, uncountable
"Never a Yankee was born or bred / Without that peculiar kink in his head / By which he could turn the smallest amount / Of whatever he had to the best account."
- 7 a person with unusual sexual tastes wordnet
- 8 Peculiarity or deviation in sexual behaviour or taste. countable, uncountable
"No more kink. Nothing. Finito. Got it?"
- 9 a sharp bend in a line produced when a line having a loop is pulled tight wordnet
- 10 A person with peculiar sexual tastes. countable, uncountable
""What do they think you know?" "No more than I've told you. That he's a kink. He rapes people and kills people and spends too much money and flies grass in.""
- 11 a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (‘rick’ and ‘wrick’ are British) wordnet
- 12 Any sexual preference outside normal or expected norms. countable, uncountable
- 13 A positive 1-soliton solution to the sine-Gordon equation. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To laugh loudly.
- 2 To form a kink or twist. transitive
- 3 form a curl, curve, or kink wordnet
- 4 To gasp for breath as in a severe fit of coughing.
- 5 To be formed into a kink or twist. intransitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 curl tightly wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The water stopped running because the hose has a kink in it."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "kink"?
Common synonyms include: twist, aberration, abnormality, acute pain, anomaly, bend.
How do you use "kink" in a sentence?
The water stopped running because the hose has a kink in it.
How do you pronounce "kink"?
Pronounced /kɪŋk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English kinken, kynken, from Old English *cincian (attested in cincung), from Proto-West Germanic *kinkōn, from Proto-Germanic *kinkōną (“to laugh”), from Proto-Indo-European *gang- (“to mock, jeer, deride”), related to Old English canc (“jeering, scorn, derision”). Cognate with Dutch kinken (“to kink, cough”).
Etymology 2
From Dutch kink (“a twist or curl in a rope”), from Proto-Germanic *kenk-, *keng- (“to bend, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *gengʰ- (“to turn, wind, braid, weave”). Compare Middle Low German kinke (“spiral screw, coil”), Old Norse kikna (“to bend backwards, sink at the knee”), Icelandic kengur (“a bend or bight; a metal crook”). Probably related to kick.