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
Rolling off its eyecatching portfolio of premium, high-end kids titles, Banijay Kids & Family has clinched a raft of package deals in Latin America, announced strategically in the run-up to this year’s Annecy MIFA market.
—
John Hopewell, Variety, 21 June 2026
Undav scored twice as Germany defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 on Saturday and clinched a spot in the knockout phase at the World Cup.
—ABC News, 20 June 2026
According to a GoFundMe page that had raised more than $225,000 as of Saturday afternoon, the dog’s owner, Marie Marcel, was screaming with joy after the Knicks clinched their first NBA title since 1973 by defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
—City News Service, Daily News, 20 June 2026
The New York Knicks clinched their first NBA title in 53 years, the UFC staged an event on the White House lawn, and the first World Cup on American soil since 1994 kicked into high gear.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 June 2026
The host nation on Friday night clinched a win in Group D thanks to their 2-0 win over Australia on Friday afternoon in Seattle, paired with the result of Paraguay-Turkey nightcap at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 20 June 2026
And this month, Nithya Raman clinched a spot in the November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
—Matt Brown, Fortune, 20 June 2026
The United States World Cup team clinched a spot in the knockout stage with its 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle on Friday afternoon, its second win in as many games in this World Cup.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
While the Knicks clinched the title some 1,800 miles away, the city held watch limited-capacity parties outside of the Garden, at Wollman Rink in Central Park and at Radio City Music Hall.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026
John Hopewell, Variety, 21 June 2026
Undav scored twice as Germany defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 on Saturday and clinched a spot in the knockout phase at the World Cup.
—ABC News, 20 June 2026
According to a GoFundMe page that had raised more than $225,000 as of Saturday afternoon, the dog’s owner, Marie Marcel, was screaming with joy after the Knicks clinched their first NBA title since 1973 by defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
—City News Service, Daily News, 20 June 2026
The New York Knicks clinched their first NBA title in 53 years, the UFC staged an event on the White House lawn, and the first World Cup on American soil since 1994 kicked into high gear.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 June 2026
The host nation on Friday night clinched a win in Group D thanks to their 2-0 win over Australia on Friday afternoon in Seattle, paired with the result of Paraguay-Turkey nightcap at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 20 June 2026
And this month, Nithya Raman clinched a spot in the November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
—Matt Brown, Fortune, 20 June 2026
The United States World Cup team clinched a spot in the knockout stage with its 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle on Friday afternoon, its second win in as many games in this World Cup.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
While the Knicks clinched the title some 1,800 miles away, the city held watch limited-capacity parties outside of the Garden, at Wollman Rink in Central Park and at Radio City Music Hall.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinched
Verb
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Without a staff, and also faced with electrical issues, Robertson and two cousins decided to temporarily close the restaurant’s doors on May 12.—
Angela Osorio,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
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Gerrit Cole was originally lined up to start Sunday, but the Yankees decided to give their ace — and the rest of the rotation — an extra day of rest amid a stretch of 16 consecutive games without an off-day.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 June 2026
Verb
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The boy's family settled a federal lawsuit with the city earlier this year.—
TRAVIS LOLLER,
Arkansas Online,
20 June 2026
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What the law says This new memo calls into question what legal experts say has been settled law for decades.—
Cory Turner,
NPR,
20 June 2026
Verb
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New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill has been determined to avoid offsetting the costs on to taxpayers, and unsuccessfully called for FIFA to help share the cost burden, and Mamdani sympathizes with her position.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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Investigators determined that Teahan had supplied Windham with the fentanyl that caused his death.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clinched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinched. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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