clinch

[ klinch ]
See synonyms for: clinchclinched on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  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.

  1. to fasten (objects) together by nails, screws, etc., secured in this manner.

  2. Nautical. to fasten by a clinch.

verb (used without object)
  1. Boxing. to engage in a clinch: The boxers clinched and were separated by the referee.

  2. Slang. to embrace, especially passionately.

  1. (of a clinched nail, screw, etc.) to hold fast; be secure.

noun
  1. the act of clinching.

  2. 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.

  1. Slang. a passionate embrace.

  2. a clinched nail or fastening.

  3. the bent part of a clinched nail, screw, etc.

  4. 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.

  5. Archaic. a pun.

Origin of clinch

1
First recorded in 1560–70; later variant of Middle English clench
  • Also clench (for defs. 1-4, 9, 11, 12).

Other words for clinch

Other words from clinch

  • clinch·ing·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with clinch

Words Nearby clinch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use clinch in a sentence

  • The Rabin government went on to clinch a first-ever peace deal with the Palestinians.

    Israel’s Great Haredi Hope | Dan Ephron | December 6, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • The twit, Guy clinch, is the unlucky father of Marmaduke, an 18-month-old prodigy of domestic mayhem.

  • A gentle breath from heaven makes the basket decline a little and the ropes creak against the hardwood clinch blocks.

    The Real Latin Quarter | F. Berkeley Smith
  • Our natural impulse now is to slightly clinch our teeth when we shake our heads to mean “no.”

  • Could the people of the clinch and Holston have felt the same confidence, they would have spared themselves much nagging.

    A Virginia Scout | Hugh Pendexter
  • And so step by step the devil thrust him into desperation, and strove thereby to clinch the hopelessness of his estate.

    Julian Home | Dean Frederic W. Farrar
  • There would be small chance of another band raiding down the clinch for some time at least.

    A Virginia Scout | Hugh Pendexter

British Dictionary definitions for clinch

clinch

/ (klɪntʃ) /


verb
  1. (tr) to secure (a driven nail) by bending the protruding point over

  2. (tr) to hold together in such a manner: to clinch the corners of the frame

  1. (tr) to settle (something, such as an argument, bargain, etc) in a definite way

  2. (tr) nautical to fasten by means of a clinch

  3. (intr) to engage in a clinch, as in boxing or wrestling

noun
  1. the act of clinching

    • a nail with its point bent over

    • the part of such a nail, etc, that has been bent over

  1. boxing wrestling an act or an instance in which one or both competitors hold on to the other to avoid punches, regain wind, etc

  2. slang a lovers' embrace

  3. nautical a loop or eye formed in a line by seizing the end to the standing part.

Origin of clinch

1
C16: variant of clench
  • Also (for senses 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10): clench

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012