give/budge an inch

idiom

: to make even a slight change in opinion or attitude
I begged him to reconsider, but he wouldn't give/budge an inch.

Examples of give/budge an inch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And both walked to their final hole Friday morning unwilling to give an inch, tied and pacing the early field at six-under at the U.S. Senior Open. Luca Evans, Denver Post, 27 June 2025 But fiscal hawks aren’t willing to budge an inch, particularly after the Freedom Caucus celebrated victory in securing over $1.5 trillion in spending cuts and moving up the effective deadlines for Medicaid and Inflation Reduction Act energy credits. Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 27 June 2025 Access Trax Kelly Twichel VIEW PROFILE Even Paralympic wheelchair racers can’t budge an inch on a beach—many resort to literally dragging themselves 60 yards across the sand to go in the ocean. Alan Schwarz, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025 The highest-profile pairing of the morning – No. 2 Rory McIlroy and No. 3 Xander Schauffele – was a prime example of the course refusing to give an inch. Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 14 June 2025 Facing the prospect of playing his final baseball game, Speh wasn’t going to give an inch. Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025 After launching at No. 1 on the Blues Albums chart, Sinners doesn't budge an inch. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025 Neither team was willing to give an inch and, in the end, 48 minutes was not enough to settle things. Homero De La Fuente, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2025 Morikawa, who ended the day with a closing birdie, doesn’t plan to give an inch and provide an opening. Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Give/budge an inch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%2Fbudge%20an%20inch. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

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