clinch 1 of 2

verb

ˈklinch How to pronounce clinch (audio)
Definition of clinchnext
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

clinch

2 of 2

noun

as in hug

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Dissimilar Words

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 clinch
Verb
Carlos Rodon and four relievers held the Padres to three hits as the Yankees (81-61) pulled within a victory of clinching their 34th consecutive winning season. — Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026 Now up five games in the NL East, and having trimmed the magic number to clinch the division to 15, the Braves (85-58) were four outs away from a second straight loss to their division rival. — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Noun
Heat clinches winning record In moving to 42-39, Miami won for only the fourth time in its past 14 games and assured itself of a winning record for the 19th time in 26 seasons this century. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026 By virtue of their relative scarcity—there have been eight empty-the-tank outings since the century began—every Game 7 is an unqualified treat, but the Dodgers’ clinch was one for the ages. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for clinch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinch
  1. decide
  2. hug
  3. settle
  4. embrace
  5. determine
  6. foothold
  7. grab
  8. footing
Verb
  • What input did the NFL have in the Highmark Stadium field when the team decided to switch to grass after 54 years?
    — Tim Graham, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Boeing and Lockheed Martin at first provided only tentative funding for Vulcan’s development, then ULA waited until 2018 to select an engine for Vulcan, deciding on Blue Origin’s BE-4 over Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AR1.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of decide
Noun
  • The roommates count down together before sharing one last group hug outside the OG house, recreating the kind of emotional farewell that closed out the original Jersey Shore.
    — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The two were the only ones in the photos in which they were captured appearing to hold hands, hug, and, in one instance, sit in a pool together.
    — Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of hug
Verb
  • The tropical cyclone reached Category 5, defined by sustained winds of 157 mph or greater, overnight Friday before losing some of its steam and settling into Category 4’s limits of sustained winds of 130 to 156 mph by Saturday.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Our offensive weapons give Kyler a perfect runway to land the plane, finally settling into an environment that can nurture his skill set and get a payday in a prove-it year.
    — Adam Coleman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of settle
Noun
  • The match, and their embrace at the end, captivated the tournament.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • This signifies the semiconductor industry’s broader embrace of high NA EUV photolithography technology that can cost up to $400 million per machine and is only provided by the Dutch technology company ASML, Bloomberg reports.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of embrace
Verb
  • California's next governor will ultimately determine whether to accept or reject the board's recommendation.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The identities of those killed have yet to be determined, al-Masirah satellite news channel cited Saboula as saying.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of determine
Noun
  • Sisitsky came up doing healthcare buyouts and spent time integrating TPG’s 2023 acquisition of lender Angelo Gordon, which gave it a foothold in Wall Street’s credit rush.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • One path for mixed white-Asian actors was to find a foothold in Asia, where a Wasian appearance was prized in modeling and entertainment.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of foothold
Noun
  • Still, if Curl doesn’t make a clutch diving grab as the ball nosedived toward the grass, that’s merely an incomplete pass that no one remembers.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Armstrong continued to bolster his case for NL MVP, drawing a four-pitch walk, scoring twice and making a leaping grab at the center-field wall to rob Miami’s Heriberto Hernández of a potential extra-base hit in the sixth.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of grab
Noun
  • Cretton might be about the hottest director in Hollywood after helming the most recent iteration of Spider-Man, which has put the franchise back on firm footing for Sony Pictures and cemented the star-power bona fides of Tom Holland and Zendaya.
    — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
  • As Gauff finally got some footing in the match, Andreeva began to spray balls, as if the messy stuff that Gauff had brought to the court had spread across the net.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of footing

Browse Nearby Words

climes
clinch
clinched
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Cite this Entry

“Clinch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinch. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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