0 a set of connected or related things:
She has built up a chain of 180 bookshops across the country.
His resignation was followed by a remarkable chain of events.
1 (a length of) rings usually made of metal that are connected together and used for fastening, pulling, supporting, or limiting freedom, or as jewellery:
2 a situation in which someone selling a house cannot complete the sale because the person who wants to buy it needs to sell their house first:
3 to fasten someone or something using a chain:
4 a length of metal rings that are connected together and used for fastening or supporting, and in machinery:
7 a group of similar businesses, such as restaurants or hotels, which are all owned and controlled by the same organization:
hotel/supermarket/fast-food chain The well-known fast-food chain has expanded to over 20,000 restaurants in 17 countries.
chain restaurants/stores/retailers
a chain of supermarkets/bookstores/department stores
8 a system of people, processes, or organizations that work together in a particular order:
This unit examines the stages in the chain of production of tea, from the leaves in Sri Lanka to the cup in the UK.
chain of command/power/authority Employee complaints were taken all the way up the corporate chain of command.
9 a situation in which someone cannot complete the sale of their house because the person who wants to buy it needs to sell their house first:
The supermarket chain announced that it was cutting the cost of all its fresh and frozen meat.
Jonson has run the gamut of hotel work, from porter to owner of a large chain of hotels.
As part of the centenary celebrations a chain of beacons was lit across the region.
They are not only the world's biggest fast-food chain, but also the industry's trendsetter.
Text that is no longer spoken by a mouth to be heard by an ear marks one of the limits of the theory of chains.
He would put an end to "damnations" with the promise of a decade in chains.
I shall first do my best to link together the chains of this argument.
中文繁体
有聯繫的事, 一連串,一系列(的事物), 鏈條…
More中文简体
有联系的事, 一连串,一系列(的事物), 链条…
MoreEspañol
cadena, encadenar, cadena [feminine]…
MorePortuguês
cadeia, corrente, rede…
More日本語
鎖, チェーン, (レストラン、店の)チェーン…
MoreTürk dili
zincir, halka, mağazalar/lokantalar zinciri…
MoreFrançais
chaîne [feminine], série [feminine], suite [feminine]…
MoreCatalan
cadena, sèrie, encadenar…
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