as in factor
something (as a fact or argument) that is decisive or overwhelming
the fact that the resort had tennis courts was the clincher in our deciding to stay there
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clincher
The Leeds United goalkeeper had an agonisingly close-up view of Gabriel Gudmundsson’s 94th-minute clincher in London, stretching for it, but failing to keep it out.
—
Beren Cross, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Fitzgerald was one of best freshmen in the country with six interceptions, including the game-clincher against Texas A&M in the first round.
—Erick Smith, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
The game-clincher came one play after linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith’s second interception, which preserved a 34-27 lead.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 2 Jan. 2026
Two members of the New England Patriots are eligible to play in what could be a top-seed clincher this weekend despite allegations made against them earlier this week.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clincher
Beren Cross, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Fitzgerald was one of best freshmen in the country with six interceptions, including the game-clincher against Texas A&M in the first round.
—Erick Smith, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
The game-clincher came one play after linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith’s second interception, which preserved a 34-27 lead.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 2 Jan. 2026
Two members of the New England Patriots are eligible to play in what could be a top-seed clincher this weekend despite allegations made against them earlier this week.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clincher
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clincher
Noun
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The university disputed his statement, saying the deficit is substantially lower and stems from broader institutional and external factors.—
Jaweed Kaleem,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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In his appeal, Green argued the sentence was too harsh – that Judge Samuel Cappas abused his discretion with the factors used to come up with his prison term.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The capper was a blowout loss in the Wild Card round to the Rams, who harassed Darnold into nine sacks.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
26 Jan. 2026
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DaCosta’s installment offers a number of major developments that Boyle’s trilogy capper will resolve at some point in the near future.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The company wants to be allowed to use a commercial crusher to process the rock on site, but says it wouldn’t be done frequently.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
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The rock crusher itself appeared to be a mobile unit, not a permanent one.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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From an aesthetic standpoint, a mattress topper of this kind offers additional benefits.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
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The cake will be topped with a vintage Lenox cake topper that looks like the couple, which Girard scored on eBay.—
Hannah Kirby,
jsonline.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In a new secondary analysis of the larger trial published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Patti and her colleagues asked how different social determinants of health affected outcomes after bariatric surgery compared to medical therapy for people with type 2 diabetes and obesity.—
Elizabeth Cooney,
STAT,
19 Jan. 2026
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This research suggests that social determinants of health, including financial stress and food insecurity, may belong in the same conversation.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clincher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clincher. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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