| 1. | to settle (a matter) decisively: After they clinched the deal they went out to celebrate. |
| 2. | to secure (a nail, screw, etc.) in position by beating down the protruding point: He drove the nails through the board and clinched the points flat with a hammer. |
| 3. | to fasten (objects) together by nails, screws, etc., secured in this manner. |
| 4. | Nautical. to fasten by a clinch. |
| 5. | Boxing. to engage in a clinch: The boxers clinched and were separated by the referee. |
| 6. | Slang. to embrace, esp. passionately. |
| 7. | (of a clinched nail, screw, etc.) to hold fast; be secure. |
| 8. | the act of clinching. |
| 9. | Boxing. an act or instance of one or both boxers holding the other about the arms or body in order to prevent or hinder the opponent's punches. |
| 10. | Slang. a passionate embrace. |
| 11. | a clinched nail or fastening. |
| 12. | the bent part of a clinched nail, screw, etc. |
| 13. | a knot or bend in which a bight or eye is made by making a loop or turn in the rope and seizing the end to the standing part. |
| 14. | Archaic. a pun. |
clinch
[klɪntʃ]
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