as in grip
the act or manner of holding
fearful that his suitcase might be stolen, he never once relaxed his clench on the handle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to grip
to have or keep in one's hands
clenched a tissue in his hands as he told his story of misfortune
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clench
Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
The Cleveland Guardians beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-4, on Thursday night in Game 4 of the ALDS, tying the series and setting up a clench-your-teeth, hold-your-breath series finale.
—Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 17 Jan. 2026
As Rathbun and other officers retreated, Webster clenched both fists, crouched into a linebacker’s stance, and charged into Rathbun, knocking him to the ground.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clench
Noun
Brazilian democracy has spent the past three years in a near-permanent state of tension – a full-body clench against an ex-president who refused to accept defeat.
—Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
The Cleveland Guardians beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-4, on Thursday night in Game 4 of the ALDS, tying the series and setting up a clench-your-teeth, hold-your-breath series finale.
—Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
Don’t leave home without a rose clenched between your teeth.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 17 Jan. 2026
As Rathbun and other officers retreated, Webster clenched both fists, crouched into a linebacker’s stance, and charged into Rathbun, knocking him to the ground.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clench
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clench
Noun
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Four-time Supermoto world champion Adrien Chareyre rode the M2 and had positive feedback on the M2's rideability and grip.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Mar. 2026
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The regime survives by exporting crisis because stability and prosperity threaten its grip on power.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
semafor.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The seasonal cake that had Costco fans across the nation clutching their pearls is back.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
4 Mar. 2026
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Bay Hill has recently brought out Henley’s best, thanks to his pinpoint ball-striking and clutch short game, highlighted by a pivotal chip-in for eagle on the par-5 16th hole in 2025.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Kate Middleton—Catherine, Princess of Wales—has been brushing up on her own grasp of the Celtic language just in time for the patron saint’s day.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
1 Mar. 2026
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Negotiating teams don’t have to reinvent the wheel here — perhaps a bonus for US envoy Steve Witkoff, who has previously been criticized for a poor grasp of details in talks about Ukraine.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Rinehart’s vision for AI tools is commonly held among some of her peer set, but seems to focus on the thorniest and, for the moment, least useful AI applications.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
4 Mar. 2026
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Senate Democrats’ campaign arm had not included Texas in their path to the majority, instead looking to hold their current seats and flip others in Alaska, Maine, North Carolina, and Ohio.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Headline-grabbing cases of apparent fraud at companies like Carriox (which allegedly misled its private-credit lenders) and auto lender Tricolor (where banks got hoodwinked) show there’s plenty of blame to go around.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
2 Mar. 2026
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The sophomore guard has grabbed the reins for the Red Raiders in Toppin’s absence and was named the Big 12 Conference’s Player of the Week on Monday.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clench.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clench. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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