Connection vs. Link: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Updated on October 18, 2023
A connection implies a relationship or bond between two entities, while a link refers to a point of contact or a uniting element between them.
Key Differences
A connection usually conveys a deeper or broader relationship, implying a bond or association. A link, however, often signifies a more specific point of contact or joining between two entities.
In many contexts, particularly in digital technology, a link refers to a reference or pathway from one place to another, like a hyperlink on a webpage. A connection, in the same context, might denote a network association between devices.
The term connection often carries a more abstract or emotional connotation, suggesting a sense of unity or attachment. A link, by contrast, is more concrete and tangible, like a chain link or a web link.
While both words can be used interchangeably in many situations, their nuances differ. A link is more about the mechanism or means of joining, whereas a connection emphasizes the state or quality of being connected.
In sum, while both connection and link denote some form of association or attachment, the former often emphasizes the relationship itself, and the latter focuses more on the means of association.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Definition
A relationship or bond
A point of contact or uniting element
Contextual Use
Broader in scope, can be emotional or abstract
More specific, often tangible
Digital Technology
Refers to a network association
Refers to a reference or pathway
Abstract vs. Concrete
More abstract
More concrete
Emphasis
On the relationship or bond
On the means or mechanism of joining
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Connection and Link Definitions
Connection
A circle of friends or associates.
She has a wide connection in the entertainment industry.
Link
A ring or loop in a chain.
One link in the necklace seemed weaker than the others.
Connection
The act of connecting.
Link
A means of uniting or connecting.
The new road serves as a link between the two towns.
Connection
The state of being connected.
Link
One of the rings or loops forming a chain.
Connection
One that connects; a link
Made a connection between the two pipes.
Link
A unit in a connected series of units
Links of sausage.
One link in a molecular chain.
Connection
An association or relationship
An obvious connection between the two crimes.
Link
A unit in a transportation or communications system.
Connection
The logical or intelligible ordering of words or ideas; coherence.
Link
A connecting element; a tie or bond
Grandparents, our link with the past.
Connection
Reference or relation to something else; context
In this connection, the agreement can be seen as a step toward peace.
Link
An association; a relationship
The Alumnae Association is my link to the school's present administration.
Connection
A person, especially one of influence or importance, with whom one is associated, as by kinship or common interests
Used her connections to land a job.
Link
A causal, parallel, or reciprocal relationship; a correlation
Researchers have detected a link between smoking and heart disease.
Connection
A conveyance or scheduled run providing continuing service between means of transportation
Missed my connection in Miami.
Link
A cufflink.
Connection
A physical link, such as by wire or fiber-optic cable, between two or more points in a telecommunications system
Established a connection to the internet.
Link
A unit of length used in surveying, equal to 0.01 chain, 7.92 inches, or about 20.12 centimeters.
Connection
A means or channel of communication
Couldn't hear due to the bad phone connection.
Link
A rod or lever transmitting motion in a machine.
Connection
A drug dealer.
Link
(Computers)A graphical item or segment of text in a webpage or other electronic document that, when clicked, causes another webpage or section of the same webpage to be displayed
That newspaper's homepage includes links to numerous government resources. Also called hotlink, hyperlink.
Connection
A purchase of illegal drugs.
Link
A torch formerly used for lighting one's way in the streets.
Connection
(uncountable) The act of connecting.
Link
To put together physically, as with links
Linked the rings to form a chain.
Connection
The point at which two or more things are connected.
The connection between overeating and obesity
My headache has no connection with me going out last night.
Link
To connect, relate, or associate
Linked the suspect to the crime.
Connection
A feeling of understanding and ease of communication between two or more people.
As we were the only people in the room to laugh at the joke, I felt a connection between us.
Link
To make or have a link to (another webpage or electronic document)
The blog links important news stories from across the web.
Connection
An established communications or transportation link.
Computers linked by a network connection
I was talking to him, but there was lightning and we lost the connection.
Link
To make a link in (a webpage or electronic document)
The teacher linked the class website to an online map.
Connection
(transport) A transfer from one transportation vehicle to another in scheduled transportation service
The bus was late so he missed his connection at Penn Station and had to wait six hours for the next train.
Link
To be or become joined together physically
The molecules linked to form a polymer.
Connection
A kinship relationship between people.
Link
To be or become connected, related, or associated
Their business has linked up with ours.
Connection
An individual who is related to oneself, through either family or business.
I have some connections in Lancashire.
Link
To make or have a link to a webpage or electronic document
The shocking news story was linked to by many blogs. The article linked to photos of the damage.
Connection
(mathematics) A set of sets that contains the empty set, all one-element sets for any element that is included in any of the sets, and the union of any group of sets that are elements where the intersections of those sets is non-empty.
Link
To follow a link in a webpage or electronic document
With a click of the mouse, I linked to the museum's website.
Connection
Coherence; lack of disjointedness
Link
A connection between places, people, events, things, or ideas.
The mayor’s assistant serves as the link to the media.
Connection
The description for a Methodist denomination as a whole, as opposed to its constituent churches, circuits, districts and conferences.
Link
One element of a chain or other connected series.
The third link of the silver chain needs to be resoldered.
The weakest link.
Connection
Sexual intercourse
Link
Abbreviation of hyperlink
The link on the page points to the sports scores.
Connection
(slang) A drug dealer.
Link
(computing) The connection between buses or systems.
A by-N-link is composed of N lanes.
Connection
The act of connecting, or the state of being connected; the act or process of bringing two things into contact; junction; union; as, the connection between church and state is inescapable; the connection of pipes of different diameters requires an adapter.
Link
(mathematics) A space comprising one or more disjoint knots.
Connection
That which connects or joins together; bond; tie.
Link
(Sussex) a thin wild bank of land splitting two cultivated patches and often linking two hills.
Connection
Any relationship between things or events; association; alliance; as, a causal connection between interest rates and stock prices.
He [Algazel] denied the possibility of a known connection between cause and effect.
The eternal and inseparable connection between virtue and happiness.
Any sort of connection which is perceived or imagined between two or more things.
Link
(figurative) an individual person or element in a system
Connection
A relation; esp. a person connected with another by marriage rather than by blood; - used in a loose and indefinite, and sometimes a comprehensive, sense.
Link
Anything doubled and closed like a link of a chain.
Connection
The persons or things that are connected; as, a business connection; the Methodist connection.
Men elevated by powerful connection.
At the head of a strong parliamentary connection.
Whose names, forces, connections, and characters were perfectly known to him.
Link
A sausage that is not a patty.
Connection
Something that connects other objects.
Link
(kinematics) Any one of the several elementary pieces of a mechanism, such as the fixed frame, or a rod, wheel, mass of confined liquid, etc., by which relative motion of other parts is produced and constrained.
Connection
Usually plural) an acquaintance or acquaintances who are influential or in a position of power and to whom you are connected in some way (as by family or friendship); as, he has powerful connections.
Link
(engineering) Any intermediate rod or piece for transmitting force or motion, especially a short connecting rod with a bearing at each end; specifically (in steam engines) the slotted bar, or connecting piece, to the opposite ends of which the eccentric rods are jointed, and by means of which the movement of the valve is varied, in a link motion.
Connection
A communications channel; as, my cell phone had a bad connection.
Link
(surveying) The length of one joint of Gunter's chain, being the hundredth part of it, or 7.92 inches, the chain being 66 feet in length.
Connection
A vehicle in which one may continue a journey after debarking from another vehicle; the departing vehicle of a connection{9}; as, my connection leaves four hours after my arrival; I missed my connection.
Link
(chemistry) A bond of affinity, or a unit of valence between atoms; applied to a unit of chemical force or attraction.
Connection
The scheduled arrival of one vehicle and departure of a second, sufficiently close in time and place to allow the departing vehicle serve as a means of continuing a journey begun or continued in the first vehicle; as, we can get a connection at Newark to continue on to Paris; - most commonly used of airplanes, trains, and buses arriving and departing at the same terminal.
Link
(in the plural) The windings of a river; the land along a winding stream.
Connection
The transfer of a passenger from one vehicle to another to continue a journey; as, the connection was made in Copenhagen; - most commonly of scheduled transportation on common carriers.
Link
(broadcasting) An introductory cue.
Connection
A vendor who can supply desired materials at a favorable price, or under conditions when other sources are unavailable; as, to get a bargain from one's connection in the jewelry trade; to have connections for the purchase of marijuana; - often used in the pl..
Link
(obsolete) A torch, used to light dark streets.
Connection
The process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination.
Link
(transitive) To connect two or more things.
Connection
A relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it);
There was a connection between eating that pickle and having that nightmare
Link
To contain a hyperlink to another page.
My homepage links to my wife's.
Connection
The state of being connected;
The connection between church and state is inescapable
Link
To supply (somebody) with a hyperlink; to direct by means of a link.
Haven't you seen his Web site? I'll link you to it.
Connection
An instrumentality that connects;
He soldered the connection
He didn't have the right connector between the amplifier and the speakers
Link
To post a hyperlink to.
Stop linking those unfunny comics all the time!
Connection
(usually plural) a person who is influential and to whom you are connected in some way (as by family or friendship);
He has powerful connections
Link
(transitive) To demonstrate a correlation between two things.
Connection
The process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination;
Conditioning is a form of learning by association
Link
(compilation) To combine objects generated by a compiler into a single executable.
Connection
A connecting shape
Link
To meet with someone.
Connection
A supplier (especially of narcotics)
Link
To skip or trip along smartly; to go quickly.
Connection
Shifting from one form of transportation to another;
The plane was late and he missed his connection in Atlanta
Link
A torch made of tow and pitch, or the like.
Connection
The act of bringing two things into contact (especially for communication);
The joining of hands around the table
There was a connection via the internet
Link
A single ring or division of a chain.
Connection
A relationship in which a person or thing is linked or associated with something else.
The connection between stress and physical health is well-documented.
Link
Hence: Anything, whether material or not, which binds together, or connects, separate things; a part of a connected series; a tie; a bond.
The link of brotherhood, by whichOne common Maker bound me to the kind.
And so by double links enchained themselves in lover's life.
Connection
The action of linking one thing with another.
Making a connection in a circuit ensures the flow of electricity.
Link
Anything doubled and closed like a link; as, a link of horsehair.
Connection
A means of communication or transport.
There's a direct train connection between the two cities.
Link
Any one of the several elementary pieces of a mechanism, as the fixed frame, or a rod, wheel, mass of confined liquid, etc., by which relative motion of other parts is produced and constrained.
Connection
The state of being joined or linked.
The bridge serves as a connection between the two islands.
Link
Any intermediate rod or piece for transmitting force or motion, especially a short connecting rod with a bearing at each end; specifically (Steam Engine), the slotted bar, or connecting piece, to the opposite ends of which the eccentric rods are jointed, and by means of which the movement of the valve is varied, in a link motion.
Link
A bond of affinity, or a unit of valence between atoms; - applied to a unit of chemical force or attraction.
Link
Sausages; - because linked together.
Link
A hill or ridge, as a sand hill, or a wooded or turfy bank between cultivated fields, etc.
Link
A winding of a river; also, the ground along such a winding; a meander; - usually in pl.
The windings or "links" of the Forth above and below Stirling are extremely tortuous.
Link
Sand hills with the surrounding level or undulating land, such as occur along the seashore, a river bank, etc.
Golf may be played on any park or common, but its original home is the "links" or common land which is found by the seashore, where the short close tuft, the sandy subsoil, and the many natural obstacles in the shape of bents, whins, sand holes, and banks, supply the conditions which are essential to the proper pursuit of the game.
Link
Hence, any such piece of ground where golf is played; a golf course.
Link
To connect or unite with a link or as with a link; to join; to attach; to unite; to couple.
All the tribes and nations that composed it [the Roman Empire] were linked together, not only by the same laws and the same government, but by all the facilities of commodious intercourse, and of frequent communication.
Link
To be connected.
No one generation could link with the other.
Link
The means of connection between things linked in series
Link
A fastener that serves to join or link;
The walls are held together with metal links placed in the wet mortar during construction
Link
The state of being connected;
The connection between church and state is inescapable
Link
A connecting shape
Link
A unit of length equal to 1/100 of a chain
Link
(computing) an instruction that connects one part of a program or an element on a list to another program or list
Link
A channel for communication between groups;
He provided a liaison with the guerrillas
Link
A two-way radio communication system (usually microwave); part of a more extensive telecommunication network
Link
An interconnecting circuit between two or more locations for the purpose of transmitting and receiving data
Link
Make a logical or causal connection;
I cannot connect these two pieces of evidence in my mind
Colligate these facts
I cannot relate these events at all
Link
Connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces;
Can you connect the two loudspeakers?
Tie the ropes together
Link arms
Link
Be or become joined or united or linked;
The two streets connect to become a highway
Our paths joined
The travelers linked up again at the airport
Link
Link with or as with a yoke;
Yoke the oxen together
Link
A relationship between two things or situations.
Researchers found a link between the two diseases.
Link
A code or instruction that connects one part of a program or an element on a list to another.
Click on this link to visit our website.
Link
One of a set of rings or loops that are connected to make a chain.
Each link in the chain was carefully forged.
FAQs
Are "connection" and "link" synonymous?
They can be used interchangeably in some contexts, but they have nuances that make them distinct.
Can "link" refer to an emotional bond?
While possible, "connection" is more commonly used for emotional or abstract bonds.
Is "link" always tangible?
No, it can be abstract, like a conceptual link between ideas.
Which word emphasizes the mechanism of joining more?
"Link" often emphasizes the means or mechanism more.
Which term is broader in scope?
"Connection" is generally broader, encompassing various types of relationships.
Can "connection" refer to a physical joining?
Yes, like in "railroad connection" or "pipe connection".
In technology, is a Wi-Fi "link" the same as a Wi-Fi "connection"?
Not exactly. A "link" might refer to a specific pathway or reference, while a "connection" denotes an established network association.
Is every "link" a "connection"?
Not always. A "link" can be just a reference or pathway, not necessarily implying a deep bond.
Can "connection" mean a circle of acquaintances?
Yes, like in "business connections" or "family connections".
Which word is more abstract?
"Connection" can be more abstract, emphasizing relationships or bonds.
Can "connection" be used in digital contexts?
Absolutely, like "internet connection" or "database connection".
Is "link" always about two entities?
Usually, but it can refer to multiple points in a chain or series.
In chains, which term refers to the individual rings?
"Link" refers to individual rings or loops in a chain.
Which term emphasizes the state of being joined?
"Connection" often emphasizes the state or quality of being connected.
Can "link" refer to a means of communication?
Yes, but it often emphasizes the mechanism, like "satellite link".
Can "connection" be used in transport contexts?
Yes, like "bus connection" or "flight connection".
Which term is more commonly used in technology?
Both are used, but "link" is often seen with references like hyperlinks, while "connection" is used for network associations.
Can "link" mean a means of transport?
It can, like "transport link", but it often emphasizes the connecting aspect more than the mode itself.
Can I use "link" to describe an emotional bond?
It's possible, but "connection" is more fitting for emotional contexts.
Is a "web link" the same as a "web connection"?
Not exactly. A "web link" is a specific reference or URL, while "web connection" denotes an established association to the web.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
