in the clutch
idiom
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 score would have been more lopsided if the Dodgers’ $700-million man had delivered in the clutch.
—
Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Chiefs coach Andy Reid was full of praise for Mahomes after Sunday’s win, crediting the star for getting the team over the line in the clutch moments.
—Ben Church, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024
For Winters Mill coach Dave Wynne, the game came down to the Knights stepping up in the clutch moments.
—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 27 Jan. 2024
The senior buried eight consecutive free throws in the clutch to end McClatchy’s Cinderella run.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
That’s the closest the Kings would get, though, as Jaquez delivered in the clutch with two straight jumpers to push the Heat’s lead back up to six, including a beautiful step-throw move to make a shot over Kings center Domantas Sabonis.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024
The key players came up big for City, as Griffin, Howard and Smith each delivered in the clutch during an 11-0 run to finish the period.
—Aidan Thomas, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2024
Brock Purdy and the 49ers weren’t sharp on a rainy night against the Packers, but their QB delivered in the clutch to lead a comeback win and bring them back to being a win away from the Super Bowl.
—Rob Maaddi, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024
This leads me to my final reason and that is that, somehow, in the clutch, that same hive mind performs even better.
—Esfandiar Baraheni, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Chiefs coach Andy Reid was full of praise for Mahomes after Sunday’s win, crediting the star for getting the team over the line in the clutch moments.
—Ben Church, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024
For Winters Mill coach Dave Wynne, the game came down to the Knights stepping up in the clutch moments.
—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 27 Jan. 2024
The senior buried eight consecutive free throws in the clutch to end McClatchy’s Cinderella run.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
That’s the closest the Kings would get, though, as Jaquez delivered in the clutch with two straight jumpers to push the Heat’s lead back up to six, including a beautiful step-throw move to make a shot over Kings center Domantas Sabonis.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024
The key players came up big for City, as Griffin, Howard and Smith each delivered in the clutch during an 11-0 run to finish the period.
—Aidan Thomas, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2024
Brock Purdy and the 49ers weren’t sharp on a rainy night against the Packers, but their QB delivered in the clutch to lead a comeback win and bring them back to being a win away from the Super Bowl.
—Rob Maaddi, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024
This leads me to my final reason and that is that, somehow, in the clutch, that same hive mind performs even better.
—Esfandiar Baraheni, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in the clutch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near in the clutch
Cite this Entry
“In the clutch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20clutch. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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