What does "clinch" mean?
Any of several fastenings.
Clinch
/klɪnt͡ʃ/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of several fastenings.
- Grammar: clinch is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abduct, acquire, adhere, adhere to.
- Useful contrasts: delay, detach, distance.
- Usage evidence: Now is the time to clinch the deal.
How to use "clinch"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "clinch" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "clinch" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "clinch" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "clinch" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "clinch" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abduct" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "clinch", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of several fastenings.
- 2 (boxing) the act of one boxer holding onto the other to avoid being hit and to rest momentarily wordnet
- 3 The act of bending and hammering the point of a nail so it cannot be removed.
- 4 a tight or amorous embrace wordnet
- 5 The act or process of holding fast; that which serves to hold fast.
"to get a good clinch of an antagonist, or of a weapon"
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 a device (generally used by carpenters) that holds things firmly together wordnet
- 7 A pun. obsolete
- 8 the flattened part of a nail or bolt or rivet wordnet
- 9 A hitch or bend by which a rope is made fast to the ring of an anchor, or the breeching of a ship's gun to the ringbolts.
- 10 a small slip noose made with seizing wordnet
- 11 A passionate embrace.
"More likely, he was letting her know that his visit this morning was not going to end in a clinch—or something steamier. It was going to be about sitting at a table, drinking coffee and talking."
- 12 The act of one or both fighters holding onto the other to prevent being hit or engage in standup grappling.
- 13 A prison sentence. archaic, slang
"COOMBE: He got the clinch only last week — eighteen months. You see it's no good having anybody here as ain't got a^([sic]) unblemished character. We don't want to have the bluebottles come sniffing round here, do we?"
Verb
- 1 To bend and hammer the point of (a nail) so it cannot be removed.
- 2 settle conclusively wordnet
- 3 To clasp; to interlock.
"“Beloved shipmates, clinch the last verse of the first chapter of Jonah—‘And God had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.’”"
- 4 flatten the ends (of nails and rivets) wordnet
- 5 To fasten securely or permanently.
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 secure or fasten by flattening the ends of nails or bolts wordnet
- 7 To make certain; to finalize.
"I already planned to buy the car, but the color was what really clinched it for me."
- 8 embrace amorously wordnet
- 9 To hold firmly; to clench
- 10 hold in a tight grasp wordnet
- 11 To set closely together; to close tightly.
"to clinch the teeth or the fist"
- 12 hold a boxing opponent with one or both arms so as to prevent punches wordnet
- 13 To hold a boxing opponent with one or both arms so as to avoid being hit while resting momentarily
- 14 To secure a spot (e.g., at the divisional championship) before the end of regular season play by having an insurmountable lead.
"It put the U.S. on the brink of clinching a spot in the quarterfinals."
- 15 To embrace passionately.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A river in Virginia and Tennessee, United States, a tributary of the Tennessee River, named after an 18th century explorer.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Now is the time to clinch the deal."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "clinch"?
Common synonyms include: abduct, acquire, adhere, adhere to, affix, afford proof of.
How do you use "clinch" in a sentence?
Now is the time to clinch the deal.
How do you pronounce "clinch"?
Pronounced /klɪnt͡ʃ/.
Etymology
16th-century alteration of clench.