cinch

noun \ ˈsinch \

Updated on: 13 May 2018

Definition of cinch

1 : a strap that holds a saddle on a horse

2 : a tight grip

3 a : a thing done with ease

Getting reelected would be a cinch for him.

b : a certainty to happen

it's a cinch he'll break the record

See cinch defined for English-language learners

See cinch defined for kids

Examples of cinch in a Sentence

This recipe is a cinch.
This dish is a cinch to make.

Recent Examples of cinch from the Web

With Google Pay, rewards are indeed a cinch to obtain.

— Southern Living, "Get Rewards for Shopping with This Google App," 3 May 2018
Getting here is a cinch on the town’s summer shuttle service (nrtawave.com).

— BostonGlobe.com, "The 20 best beaches to visit in New England," 2 May 2018
Getting together may have taken almost a decade, but finding music to perform was a cinch.

— zachary lewis, cleveland.com, "Quire Cleveland and Les Delices forge partnership for 'Let the Heavens Rejoice!' (preview)," 25 Apr. 2018
Inside, the Black Hole has simple cinches that kept towels secure during the packing test, as well as two independent mesh pockets on the lid.

— joe jackson, Outside Online, "The Best Duffel Bags," 18 Apr. 2018
But the Patriots are hardly a cinch to win the City title.

— eric sondheimer, latimes.com, "Catcher Johnny Tincher will not let Birmingham's bubble burst," 8 Apr. 2018
This compact version will be a cinch to pack for spring break.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "The Best Sephora Weekly Wow Deals Include Dr. Brandt's Famous Needles No More Serum," 30 Mar. 2018
Kits may include a cinch sack with: swimsuit, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, beach ball, reusable water containers and gift card to help foster kids, many of whom are on medications, better protect themselves from the sun.

— grace palmieri, azcentral, "Season for Sharing awards grants to 153 Arizona non-profits," 15 Mar. 2018
First team to 40 would be a cinch, if anybody actually gets there in a potential game between the country’s two best defenses.

— dick jerardi, Philly.com, "NCAA tournament selection committee needs a new formula," 11 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cinch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of cinch

Spanish cincha, from Latin cingula girdle, girth, from cingere — more at cincture

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1859

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

cinch Synonyms

Phrases

piece of cake, walk in the park;

Other Equestrian Terms

canter, cantle, curry, farrier, hunter, paddock, router, skirt, tack

cinch

verb

Definition of cinch

transitive verb

1 a : to put a cinch on

cinch a horse

b : to fasten (something, such as a belt or strap) tightly

He cinched his belt tight.

2 : to make certain : assure

the goal that cinched the victory

intransitive verb

: to tighten the cinch —often used with up

cinched up before mounting his horse

See cinch defined for English-language learners

Examples of cinch in a Sentence

The coat is cinched at the waist.
The rider cinched the saddle.
The candidate cinched the nomination by winning the major primary elections.
The home run cinched the victory.

Recent Examples of cinch from the Web

The piece was cinched at the waist with a white ribbon that danced playfully in the breeze.

— maria ward, Vogue, "Kendall Jenner Serves Up Two Radically Different Party Looks In One Night," 4 May 2018
The guard cinched McCain’s shattered arms behind his back for hours at a time, arriving on a schedule to tighten them.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "John McCain rebelled at the Naval Academy — and as a POW — long before he was a Senate maverick," 3 May 2018
In addition to sculpting your butt, this move challenges your obliques and transverse abdominis, aka your waist-cinching muscles.

— NBC News, "5 simple exercises for stronger, tighter glutes," 2 May 2018
The one that came just days later cinched a romance that righted wrongs flagrant enough to captivate a nation.

— tammy la gorce, New York Times, "After Scandal and Divorce, Jenny Sanford Learns She Can Love Again," 6 Apr. 2018
Kristopher Johnson, a passenger on Flight 1380, said his training as an Army staff sergeant and amateur scuba diver had taught him to cinch the oxygen mask snugly over both his nose and mouth.

— doug cameron, WSJ, "Southwest Accident Shows Passengers Unprepared for Emergencies," 19 Apr. 2018
The flyway is shaped like an hourglass stretching from as far south as Mexico to as far north as Siberia and cinched into an 80-mile-wide stretch in Nebraska.

— National Geographic, "This Is What One of the Last Great Migrations Looks Like," 17 Apr. 2018
Orodrio Dodo, a talented young ranger, crawled through the waist-high grass to Mararv's side and cinched a tourniquet tight around his leg.

— tristan mcconnell, GQ, "The Bloody Toll of Congo's Elephant Wars," 16 Apr. 2018
But a scruffy black-haired dog named Holly pranced through the snow with a coat cinched around her torso and a pink ball in her mouth.

— New York Times, "Snowstorm Pummels Eastern Seaboard," 22 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of cinch

see ¹cinch

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1866

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

cinch Synonyms

Synonyms

assure, ensure, guarantee, guaranty, ice, insure, secure;

Near Antonyms

enfeeble, undermine, weaken;

pledge, promise, swear;

CINCH Defined for English Language Learners

cinch

noun

Definition of cinch for English Language Learners

: something that is very easy to do
—used to say that something will certainly happen or that someone will easily do something
: a strap that holds a saddle on a horse