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
San Diego State’s women’s basketball team clinched at least a tie for the Mountain West regular-season basketball title Saturday afternoon, while UC Irvine rallied in the second half at LionTree Arena then held on to defeat UC San Diego 70-68 in a battle between Big West Conference co-leaders.
—
Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
The Americans clinched the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Italy on Sunday morning with a thrilling overtime victory over Canada in the Olympic final.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb. 2026
With a dominant 6-2 victory over Slovakia in the Olympic semifinal in Milan, the American team has officially clinched a spot on the podium—and a shot at that historic gold.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 21 Feb. 2026
Hundreds of Palestinians have died since the formal ceasefire was clinched, in October.
—Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026
The group is responsible for a historic season, in which UCLA has clinched at least a share of its conference title for the first time this century.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Megan Keller's sudden-death goal in overtime clinched the gold.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
Canada, which has won three gold medals in Olympics in which NHL players participated (1998-2014), clinched its spot in the gold medal game after fighting back from a 2-0 deficit against Finland earlier Friday.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
His teammate Kjeld Nuis clinched the bronze medal and jumped for joy on the podium.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 19 Feb. 2026
Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
The Americans clinched the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Italy on Sunday morning with a thrilling overtime victory over Canada in the Olympic final.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb. 2026
With a dominant 6-2 victory over Slovakia in the Olympic semifinal in Milan, the American team has officially clinched a spot on the podium—and a shot at that historic gold.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 21 Feb. 2026
Hundreds of Palestinians have died since the formal ceasefire was clinched, in October.
—Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026
The group is responsible for a historic season, in which UCLA has clinched at least a share of its conference title for the first time this century.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Megan Keller's sudden-death goal in overtime clinched the gold.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
Canada, which has won three gold medals in Olympics in which NHL players participated (1998-2014), clinched its spot in the gold medal game after fighting back from a 2-0 deficit against Finland earlier Friday.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
His teammate Kjeld Nuis clinched the bronze medal and jumped for joy on the podium.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinched
Verb
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Some have decided that AI is either simply fake (this is not the experience of the software engineers now using it at remarkable scale), while others have substantive qualms about its impact on culture, politics, and labor that seem to be captured in support for local opposition to data centers.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
23 Feb. 2026
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The couple joined the fight and decided a baby would have to wait.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At the same time, losses are mounting on the frontlines, and millions of people who have fled as refugees have now settled abroad.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
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The vinegar breaks down odor-causing bacteria while baking soda absorbs musty smells that have settled deep into the fibers, giving the comforter a better chance of coming out truly clean rather than temporarily masked by the fragrance from the detergent.—
Farima Ferguson,
The Spruce,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Elderly parole eligibility is determined by when the incarcerated person turns 50 years old and has served 20 years of continuous time in prison.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
24 Feb. 2026
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According to a statement from the Medical Examiner’s Office, Cano’s cause of death was determined to be the effects of fentanyl.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clinched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinched. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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