as in to decide
to make final, definite, or beyond dispute
the rain clinched the matter: we would have the party indoors
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clinch
The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 28 May 2025
The Eagles were just one out away from clinching a spot in the CIF-SS Division 6 championship game, but the tying run was also just 90 feet away from scoring.
—David Delgado, Oc Register, 27 May 2025
Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Enter, the clinch cover: book jackets featuring a couple in a passionate embrace.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clinch
Verb
Although Minnesota has clinched more Western Conference finals berths in the last two seasons (well, two) than its 34 years of existence, most of the Timberwolves’ series against the Thunder showed the gap between the franchises.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 28 May 2025
The Eagles were just one out away from clinching a spot in the CIF-SS Division 6 championship game, but the tying run was also just 90 feet away from scoring.
—David Delgado, Oc Register, 27 May 2025
Noun
Ramirez needs to stay active and not accept the clinch of his opponent.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Enter, the clinch cover: book jackets featuring a couple in a passionate embrace.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clinch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinch
Verb
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Clalit, after a review, decided to dismiss the complaint against Qasem Hassan.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
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The attorney general said that after the Supreme Court sided with Glossip earlier this year, his office reviewed the merits of the case against him and decided there is sufficient evidence to secure another conviction.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
9 June 2025
Noun
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The smell of fresh cut grass, the warm hug of balmy days, and the familiar sound of the screen door slapping closed as the free-range children run in for a quick reprieve from the heat, all the sights and sounds of the season are in full swing.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
5 June 2025
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Below, Bridges and Ritter discuss their easy chemistry, following in their fathers’ footsteps and the power of a good hug.—
Jenelle Riley,
Variety,
5 June 2025
Verb
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With the Yankees and Red Sox knotted up, the rivals will look to settle their first series of the season on Sunday Night Baseball.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
8 June 2025
-
President Donald Trump credited the National Guard on Sunday for settling the protests against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in California.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
8 June 2025
Noun
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The bitcoin price has rocketed over the last two years, turbo-charged by Wall Street adoption led by the world’s largest asset manager BlackRock and then U.S. president Donald Trump’s embrace of the technology (with Elon Musk quietly plotting what could be a bitcoin price game-changer).—
Billy Bambrough,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
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The starkest example is the embrace of a revisionist telling of the Capitol riots that plays down the violence that Biden-era Justice Department officials labeled as domestic terrorism.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
31 May 2025
Verb
-
Wakanda Forever, the show follows Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), a young genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
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There is no update on the containment of the fire and its cause has not yet been determined.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2025
Noun
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Today, Suntory’s Japanese whisky products have a foothold in many key regions, but the global whisky consumer market has matured significantly over the last decade.—
Chris Perugini,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
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In the 1930s, vodka gained its first meaningful foothold in the U.S. when a Russian immigrant named Rudolph Kunett brought the Smirnoff brand to Bethel, Conn.—
Time,
Time,
4 June 2025
Noun
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The 157th running of the Belmont Stakes will once again be held at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, with a share of $2 million up for grabs.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
7 June 2025
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This means that both white-collar and blue-collar jobs are up for grabs.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, Bellinger, who won an MVP Award with the Dodgers in 2019, has found his footing after a rocky start, hitting .318 with five homers and 16 RBI this month.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
29 May 2025
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The lack of consistency in testing players' drivers and putters puts things on an unequal footing.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clinch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinch. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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