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 Lalay, a 15-foot crocodile, was not amused and spent half an hour thrashing around with the man’s leg clenched in her teeth, until the park owner clocked her over the head with a block of concrete to get her to let go. Kassondra Cloos, Outside, 10 Sep. 2025 And then there’s Eros, also known as Cupid, who flies away with his little buttocks clenched at the least hint of a rational process. James Parker, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025 Yang Guoliang said, his hands clenched in fists. Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025 With his jaw clenched and sights set on being the next James Bond, Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Major Will Tranter, a bomb disposal pro who’s both an ace sniper and a bit of a loose cannon, breaking protocol in his obsessive attempt to deactivate the vintage ordnance with minimal casualties. Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025 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
  • According to The Cut, Tami also impersonated Kendra for her last Halloween party, dressing as a scarecrow in a prison jumpsuit paired with a mask of her mugshot and phones clutched in its hands.
    Jordana Comiter, People.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Zarutska clutched her throat and collapsed.
    Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • As a lead disappeared, a normally calm and collected Stafford gripped his blue and gold helmet and spiked it into the turf at Nissan Stadium.
    Nate Atkins, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
  • International headlines often paint Haiti as a nation gripped by crisis — from political unrest and economic hardship to uncertainty about the future and unruly crime.
    Footwear News, Footwear News, 12 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 18 Sep. 2025.

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