missing link

noun

1
: an absent member needed to complete a series or resolve a problem
2
a
: a hypothetical intermediate evolutionary form between humans and their presumed simian progenitors
b
: a hypothetical intermediate evolutionary form between one animal species or group and its presumed ancestors
a missing link between reptiles and birds

Examples of missing link in a Sentence

Police are hopeful that the new evidence will provide the missing links needed to solve the crime. scientists searching for the missing link
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Nearly 50 years later, 3 Women still beckons adventurous interpreters, like the missing link between Bergman’s Persona and Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 19 July 2024 But there’s one missing link Aug. 8, 2024 By the 1990s, as the older stadiums’ decades-long leases came up, those tenants wanted out, and in the process, ushered in a new era of single-team stadium construction —-- bespoke buildings of brick or steel, designed with just one team in mind. Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024 For some users looking for answers to health mysteries or to find missing links to their family trees, the trade-off is worth it. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2024 Flickering gamma-ray flashes, the missing link between gamma glows and TGFs Engineering professor at Duke University. Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for missing link 

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of missing link was in 1851

Dictionary Entries Near missing link

Cite this Entry

“Missing link.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/missing%20link. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

missing link

noun
: a form of animal believed to have existed that shares characteristics with one animal group and the ancestors from which the group is thought to have evolved but has not been discovered in the fossil record
find the missing link between humans and apes

More from Merriam-Webster on missing link

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!