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.

The Zambian segment of the Lobito Corridor -- often described as the missing link -- is not on LAR's near-term agenda, he added, citing the scale and cost of rehabilitating the rail infrastructure.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

Dulles came to believe that religion, specifically an ecumenical Protestantism aiming to promote cooperation among different sects, was the missing link that could provide a moral architecture for the global system.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 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

"During periods of rapid growth, such as those associated with spring algae blooms, nearly 20% of the cells were infected, which explains the low cell numbers. So, phages are the missing link explaining this mystery."

From Science Daily • May 17, 2024

This was the missing link in Darwin's logic: reproductive incompatibility, ultimately derived from genetic incompatibility, drove the origin of novel species.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee