kink

[ kingk ]

noun

1. a twist or curl, as in a thread, rope, wire, or hair, caused by its doubling or bending upon itself:

   The kink in the hose was restricting the water flow.

2. a muscular stiffness or soreness, as in the neck or back:

   The kink in my neck was making it difficult to turn my head at all.

3. a flaw or imperfection likely to hinder the successful operation of something, such as a machine or plan:

   There are still a few kinks to be worked out of the design before we start production.

4. Slang.
   1. unconventional sexual preferences or behavior collectively.
   2. a particular sexual preference or behavior that is unconventional.
   3. a person characterized by such preferences or behavior; kinkster.
5. a mental twist; notion; whim.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to form or cause to form a twist or curl, as in a rope:

   The high tensile steel wire ensures the product will not kink in the sharpest bend.

kink

/ kɪŋk /

noun

1. a sharp twist or bend in a wire, rope, hair, etc, esp one caused when it is pulled tight
2. a crick in the neck or similar muscular spasm
3. a flaw or minor difficulty in some undertaking or project
4. a flaw or idiosyncrasy of personality; quirk
5. informal.
   a sexual deviation
6. a clever or unusual idea

verb

1. to form or cause to form a kink

Other Words From

• un·kink verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of kink¹

First recorded in 1670–80; from Dutch: “a twist in a rope”; perhaps akin to kick ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of kink¹

C17: from Dutch: a curl in a rope; compare Middle Low German kinke kink, Old Norse kinka to nod

Example Sentences

That let the developers deal with all the kinks behind-the-scenes, to try and stabilise it before opening the doors to the wider public.

From BBC

And now, his labrum surgery recovery has thrown another kink into those plans.

From Los Angeles Times

Back in Taiwan, there are still some kinks to be ironed out – like how to run the Endeavour machine in a hotter and more humid climate than the UK.

From BBC

One by one, four black men find themselves inexplicably transported to a world that resembles some half-baked new video game that hasn’t yet worked out all the kinks.

From Los Angeles Times

And it goes even further when you go into the world of kink.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• flaw
• hitch
• imperfection