missing link

[mis-ing lingk] / ˈmɪs ɪŋ ˈlɪŋk /

NOUN

lost connection

Synonyms

WEAK

broken thread omission prehuman protohuman

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.

"This was the missing link that explains how a normal immune response can, in very rare cases, become harmful."

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026

The critical missing link at present is a viable transitional government.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

And first-time buyers, long a missing link of the housing market, represented some 34% of February sales, one of the highest rates in five years, according to National Association of Realtors data.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

Three friends have finished the missing link in a 17,000-mile mountain bike challenge they did in the 1980s.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025

That thought gives me the missing link in the chain of thought I was trying to find.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth