as in decided
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 clinched
The Rockies, who beat San Francisco 8-6 on Friday night on a walk-off homer by Ezequiel Tovar, clinched their first series win since sweeping the Mets from April 24-29 in New York.
—
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
Led by Victor Wembanyama, who finished with 22 points and seven rebounds, the Spurs clinched a spot in the Finals for the first time since 2014.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 31 May 2026
City had clinched its first WSL title in a decade last month in Swedish coach Andrée Jeglertz’s first season at the club after joining from Denmark’s national team.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
Arsenal touched down in Budapest in high spirits, having clinched the Premier League for the first time in 22 years and witnessed an outpouring of wild celebration from north London to far beyond.
—Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Las Vegas already clinched its place in the Stanley Cup Final, the franchise’s third appearance in its nine years of existence.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 May 2026
New Yorkers were riding high Tuesday after the Knicks clinched a spot in the NBA Finals, and after days of rain and humidity, the clouds cleared and the sun came out.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 27 May 2026
Kell beat the Titans 3-2 in Game 1 and clinched the program’s first state title with an 8-5 Game 2 victory at AdventHealth Stadium.
—Jack Leo, AJC.com, 24 May 2026
Taylor, a Tewaaraton Award finalist for best women's lacrosse player in the country, recorded six assists and the final goal of the game for the Wildcats, who clinched their 9th title.
—CBS News, 24 May 2026
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
Led by Victor Wembanyama, who finished with 22 points and seven rebounds, the Spurs clinched a spot in the Finals for the first time since 2014.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 31 May 2026
City had clinched its first WSL title in a decade last month in Swedish coach Andrée Jeglertz’s first season at the club after joining from Denmark’s national team.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
Arsenal touched down in Budapest in high spirits, having clinched the Premier League for the first time in 22 years and witnessed an outpouring of wild celebration from north London to far beyond.
—Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Las Vegas already clinched its place in the Stanley Cup Final, the franchise’s third appearance in its nine years of existence.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 May 2026
New Yorkers were riding high Tuesday after the Knicks clinched a spot in the NBA Finals, and after days of rain and humidity, the clouds cleared and the sun came out.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 27 May 2026
Kell beat the Titans 3-2 in Game 1 and clinched the program’s first state title with an 8-5 Game 2 victory at AdventHealth Stadium.
—Jack Leo, AJC.com, 24 May 2026
Taylor, a Tewaaraton Award finalist for best women's lacrosse player in the country, recorded six assists and the final goal of the game for the Wildcats, who clinched their 9th title.
—CBS News, 24 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinched
Verb
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In response, the state decided to hire outside investigators to review some of these complaints.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
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Having found gold elsewhere once before, Mee and his friends decided to try their luck in the cave in the hope of earning some money.—
Kocha Olarn,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Eiguren’s grandparents were among the thousands of immigrants who settled in Boise starting in the late 1800s, giving rise to one of the largest Basque communities outside Europe.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
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The Sikh faith originated in the Punjab region of northwest India in the 15th century, but Sikh people have migrated and settled around the world.—
Akash Pamarthy,
NPR,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Officers determined that the dog belonged to the man and woman involved in the original disturbance and arrested the woman on charges of felony domestic violence and felony assault with a deadly weapon.—
Velvet Wu
June 1,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2026
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The duration of such a probation typically depends on whether a defendant is determined to be successfully rehabilitated.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clinched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinched. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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