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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Recent Examples of clinch
Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
But when they’re caught in a clinch by a reporter, the two agree to pretend to be dating and be each other’s partners on the court to help save the club and Niko’s career.
—EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
The best-of-five series was tied two games apiece going into the pivotal matchup and with just seconds left, Jordan hit a jumper from the free-throw line to clinch the series win.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clinch
Verb
Pictured below, director/actor/executive producer Jason Bateman and his co-star Jude Law are in the clinch of a classic big-time Hollywood-leading-man wattage-throwdown.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
But when they’re caught in a clinch by a reporter, the two agree to pretend to be dating and be each other’s partners on the court to help save the club and Niko’s career.
—EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
Miami sits playoff-qualified and third in the East, but Philadelphia Union clinched the Supporters’ Shield for league’s best regular season record.
—Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
The best-of-five series was tied two games apiece going into the pivotal matchup and with just seconds left, Jordan hit a jumper from the free-throw line to clinch the series win.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clinch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinch
Verb
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Bendicksen, the center’s director of wildlife rehabilitation, decided to attempt something few would consider, a wing transplant.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Timberview decided to go for it on fourth-and-five but was stopped at the Jaguars’ 10-yard line.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Scorsese and his light disdain for streamers’ homepage tiles was greeted with applause, and both Scorsese and Panahi, who ended their chat with a long hug on stage, were met with a standing ovation.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
10 Oct. 2025
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But in the elevator, Ella's dad had a strange response to her hug.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This is called a bifurcation, or a point where a system can settle into one of two different stable states, depending on small differences in conditions.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
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That said, there’s a real sense that the dust is starting to settle.—
Paul Chai,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But Stowe was a more complicated figure than the sentimentalist label would belie, and her embrace of Brown’s actions has much to teach us about Christian nationalism and Stowe herself.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
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In a new layer, the storyline taps into the fresh embrace of Islam by some youngsters in France with second and third generation migrant roots.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kickbacks detailed in court records Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of unraveling Gatlin’s web of fraudulent charges for investigators and Foundation officials was determining the validity of charges.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
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Currently, there is no data on the containment status of the fire and the cause has yet to be determined.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Whether the move is about Netflix’s push into ads, gaining a better foothold locally or retaining subscribers — or all three — is yet to be discovered.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
12 Oct. 2025
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The Onondagas support plans announced by the mayor of Syracuse in 2020 to remove the statue of Columbus, an Italian explorer who helped the Spanish establish a colonial foothold in the Caribbean and later suppressed revolts by Indigenous people.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Store your trail mix in an airtight container or in individual silicone baggies for an easy grab-and-go snack.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
14 Oct. 2025
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Dicker’s 33-yard kick, rewarding JK Scott’s reach grab and placement, went through with five seconds left.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Callahan just never found his footing as an NFL head coach.—
Nashville Tennessean,
Nashville Tennessean,
14 Oct. 2025
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Critics said the sky would fall, but the truth is that our economy is regaining its footing.—
Brian Mast,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clinch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinch. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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