clinch
verb
\ ˈklinch
\
\
clinched;
clinching;
clinches
Definition of clinch
(Entry 1 of 3)
1
: clench sense 3
2a
: to turn over or flatten the protruding pointed end of (a driven nail)
also
: to treat (a screw, a bolt, a rivet, etc.) in a similar way
b
: to fasten in this way
3a
: to make final or irrefutable : settle
that clinched the argument
b
: to assure the winning of
scored a touchdown to clinch the game
1
: to hold an opponent (as in boxing) at close quarters with one or both arms
2
: to hold fast or firmly
clinch
nounDefinition of clinch (Entry 2 of 3)
Clinch
geographical name
\ ˈklinch
\
\
Definition of Clinch (Entry 3 of 3)
river about 300 miles (480 kilometers) long in southwestern Virginia and eastern Tennessee flowing southwest into the Tennessee River
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Other Words from clinch
Verb
clinchingly
\ ˈklin-chiŋ-lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
Examples of clinch in a Sentence
Verb
His home run clinched the victory. The new evidence clinches the case. Her work on the project should clinch her a promotion. The photos of the city have clinched it for me. I have to visit Prague. If they win tonight's game they'll clinch the pennant.Noun
The referee told the boxers to break their clinch.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The Pirates already clinched the season series, though, and at 34-30 since 2000 are the only National League opponent to have a winning record at China Basin. — Henry Schulman, SFChronicle.com, "Giants’ trip to Dullsville ends in snoozer of a loss to Pirates," 11 Sep. 2019 Premier Giuseppe Conte’s coalition of rival parties clinched the Senate vote on Tuesday with 169 in favor, 133 against. — Washington Post, "The Latest: Italy’s new pro-Europe govt wins confidence vote," 10 Sep. 2019 The Dodgers clinched their seventh consecutive National League West title with a 7–3 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards on Tuesday night. — Jenna West, SI.com, "Dodgers Clinch Seventh Consecutive NL West Title With Win vs. Orioles," 10 Sep. 2019 The Olympic berth was clinched because automatic spots go to the top two World Cup finishers from the Americas region, and the U.S. and Argentina are the lone quarterfinalists out of that group. ... — Tim Reynolds, Houston Chronicle, "US tops Brazil to advance to World Cup quarterfinals," 9 Sep. 2019 Turning pups into Bulldogs If the OHSAA gave playoff points for scrimmages, Olmsted Falls might already have clinched a top-eight spot in its region. — Matt Goul, cleveland.com, "Olmsted Falls maintains its bite; why Brunswick’s chain has stronger links: HS football quick hits," 9 Sep. 2019 Minnesota has clinched a playoff spot but this is about positioning. — Chris Wassel, USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire, "Minnesota Lynx at Los Angeles Sparks odds, WNBA picks and best bets," 8 Sep. 2019 Tom Fearn can clinch his second consecutive Late Model championship and third division title overall Friday. — Shawn Courchesne, courant.com, "Local auto racing preview," 5 Sep. 2019 Ford, could clinch with a repeat winner or a winner who’s already qualified and 54 points. — Michelle R. Martinelli, For The Win, "Breaking down NASCAR's playoff drivers, from who's in to final clinch scenarios," 4 Sep. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Cormier was getting the best of it, using hand fighting and clinches to bloody up Miocic’s face. — Troy L. Smith, cleveland.com, "Stipe Miocic TKO’s Daniel Cormier at UFC 241, regains UFC title," 18 Aug. 2019 Assuncao clinches and looks to take Sandhagen down. — Todd Martin, Los Angeles Times, "UFC 241 live updates: Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic," 17 Aug. 2019 Allen clinches and takes Melendez down a minute in. — Todd Martin, latimes.com, "UFC 239: Jon Jones defeats Thiago Santos; Nunes stops Holm," 6 July 2019 Kianzad had some success in the clinch and opened up a cut by the eye of Avila. — Todd Martin, latimes.com, "UFC 239: Jon Jones defeats Thiago Santos; Nunes stops Holm," 6 July 2019 Grigoryan kept his clinch, though, and another throw took it back to the ground. — Grant Gordon, latimes.com, "First-round wins by Glendale’s Shahbazyan, Grigoryan highlight ‘Burbank Beatdown’," 22 Apr. 2018 The show keeps staggering toward a romantic clinch, then realizing that loving Elfo would be like returning to the nursery. — Noah Berlatsky, The Verge, "Netflix’s Disenchantment suggests the messy future of princess stories," 22 Aug. 2018 Nguyen is more active with strikes in the clinch, landing knees and punches. — Todd Martin, latimes.com, "Jussier Formiga vs. Ben Nguyen live round-by-round coverage," 11 Feb. 2018 Breathing heavily to start the third, Punk came forward and immediately moved into the clinch. — John Morgan, USA TODAY, "CM Punk falls to Mike Jackson via decision at UFC 225," 9 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'clinch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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