clenched

past tense of clench

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of clenched With every stride, the leader breathes into the whistle clenched between his lips, producing a noise like the courting sigh of some prairie bird. Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025 The result was a tension-release rally in a market that wasn’t all that clenched-up to begin with. Michael Santoli, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clenched
Verb
  • Every minute, every second, has to be spent with one’s device clutched in one’s hand.
    Big Think, Big Think, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Children as young as pre-K ran for cover, dove beneath pews or clutched their classmates as teachers shielded them from the barrage, acting instinctively to protect them.
    Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The extraordinary media interest in the case, which gripped Australia for much of the 10-week trial, had been traumatic for the family, Erin Patterson's estranged husband Simon Patterson - who was invited to the lunch but declined - said at the same hearing.
    Alasdair Pal, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Let’s say, a friend of mine, on her walk back from her barista job in South Philly, began to think about a certain someone from her past who had once gripped her heart.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.
    Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Clenched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clenched. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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