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 sports drama clinched three nods, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay.
—
Christina Perrier, InStyle, 11 Jan. 2026
Brian Worrell appeared to have the Council presidency clinched the night before, when Gabriela Coletta Zapata, who claimed the have the job for months, dropped out after three of her key supporters flipped their votes to Worrell, per City Hall sources.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
After the Pittsburgh Steelers clinched the AFC North, NFL Films cameras caught Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin thanking one another for the quarterback joining the Steelers in his 21st season.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 Jan. 2026
One defensive stop later, and the Hurricanes clinched their 31-27 win over the Rebels to punch their ticket into the national championship game.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Celebrations spilled from Calle 8 into the Miami Hurricanes team store this week as fans poured in to grab game-day gear after the Canes clinched a spot in the national championship — one that will be played at home.
—Steve Maugeri, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Miami won 31-27 and clinched a spot in its first championship game since the 2002 season.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
That clinched the season series for the Rams, reversing a trend in which the 49ers swept the regular-season matchups from 2019-22.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
For context, Chappell Roan clinched that trophy last year.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Christina Perrier, InStyle, 11 Jan. 2026
Brian Worrell appeared to have the Council presidency clinched the night before, when Gabriela Coletta Zapata, who claimed the have the job for months, dropped out after three of her key supporters flipped their votes to Worrell, per City Hall sources.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
After the Pittsburgh Steelers clinched the AFC North, NFL Films cameras caught Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin thanking one another for the quarterback joining the Steelers in his 21st season.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 10 Jan. 2026
One defensive stop later, and the Hurricanes clinched their 31-27 win over the Rebels to punch their ticket into the national championship game.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Celebrations spilled from Calle 8 into the Miami Hurricanes team store this week as fans poured in to grab game-day gear after the Canes clinched a spot in the national championship — one that will be played at home.
—Steve Maugeri, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Miami won 31-27 and clinched a spot in its first championship game since the 2002 season.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
That clinched the season series for the Rams, reversing a trend in which the 49ers swept the regular-season matchups from 2019-22.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
For context, Chappell Roan clinched that trophy last year.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinched
Verb
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After a few minutes, Ricky decided to go back to their grandparents’ home, about two blocks away.—
Emily Krauser,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Whichever producer decided to make this the first award of the night, good job.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Frederick Gaudreau sent a backhand pass from the left side near the boards to Tolvanen in front, and settled the puck and beat Quick at the 1-minute mark.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
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After narrowing down a list of famous people in and outside the business world, Blumberg and his team settled on 15 names, including Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, and the late Steve Jobs.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Koepka will also make a $5 million charitable donation to an organization yet to be determined.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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It was later determined, however, that the case did not meet authorities' acceptance criteria at the time.—
Nicholas Rice,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clinched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinched. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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