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
Yorba Linda baseball clinched at least a share of the North Hills League championship by beating Sonora 4-1 on Friday at Sonora High.
—
Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 2 May 2026
The Dragons clinched the series win in style as Jackson Smith and Gavin Morris combined to no hit Boswell.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 May 2026
Coventry had clinched the title a week previously.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Paramount clinched its $111 billion deal to swallow WBD in February after Netflix declined to up its offer for Warner Bros.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
The Charge closed 4-0 and clinched their playoff berth with a season-ending 3-0 win over Toronto.
—John Wawrow, Twin Cities, 30 Apr. 2026
Sunday’s Game 1 loss clinched a series defeat against the cellar-dwelling Rockies (12-16), who won Friday night’s series opener, 4-3, before Saturday’s game was rained out.
—Peter Sblendorio, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026
Boston, Montreal and the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost have clinched postseason spots.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Legacy, which sits in third place in district, has already clinched a spot in the postseason, which will mark the first playoff appearance in program history.
—David Dekunder, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Apr. 2026
Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 2 May 2026
The Dragons clinched the series win in style as Jackson Smith and Gavin Morris combined to no hit Boswell.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 May 2026
Coventry had clinched the title a week previously.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Paramount clinched its $111 billion deal to swallow WBD in February after Netflix declined to up its offer for Warner Bros.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
The Charge closed 4-0 and clinched their playoff berth with a season-ending 3-0 win over Toronto.
—John Wawrow, Twin Cities, 30 Apr. 2026
Sunday’s Game 1 loss clinched a series defeat against the cellar-dwelling Rockies (12-16), who won Friday night’s series opener, 4-3, before Saturday’s game was rained out.
—Peter Sblendorio, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026
Boston, Montreal and the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost have clinched postseason spots.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Legacy, which sits in third place in district, has already clinched a spot in the postseason, which will mark the first playoff appearance in program history.
—David Dekunder, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinched
Verb
-
All seven games were decided by a goal, and four went to overtime, with the stingiest of netminders at both ends.—
Eduardo A. Encina,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
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The developer that had approached Mike decided not to build, so Mike’s plans were not going to be advanced.—
Lucius Riccio,
New York Daily News,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Aided by the cushion of a 3-0 lead, after a home run by Kinon Bastian, a wild pitch and an RBI double by Xavier Johnson in the third inning, Arafet settled into a groove and relied on his arm, and the Royals went on to win 4-1 to earn a two-game sweep in the best-of-three series.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
-
Maple has even settled in at third in the batting order.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
The first death on the ship occurred April 11 somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, and the man’s cause of death couldn’t be determined on board, the ship operator said.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026
-
In 1982, a group of citizens determined to protect the river basin chartered the not-for-profit Friends of the Wekiva River, Inc.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clinched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinched. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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