in the clutch

phrase

US

: in a very important or critical situation especially during a sports competition

He is known for his ability to come through in the clutch.

She scored a basket in the clutch.

Examples of in the clutch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Valkyries were excellent in crunch-time offense against Atlanta, shooting 73 percent in the clutch in two close wins while the Dream made 33 percent of their field-goals in those situations. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2026

The Heat’s two best players (Antetokounmpo, Adebayo) are below-average three-point shooters in general and in the clutch. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026

Royals pinch-hitter Tyler Tolbert came through in the clutch, however. — Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026

An excellent contact hitter, Paredes hits in the clutch, and can be counted upon to offer a quality at-bat, with productive results. — Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026

Rhymes for in the clutch

• insomuch
• overmuch
• crutch
• cutch
• dutch
• hutch
• much
• mutch
• such
• touch
• nonesuch
• retouch