clinchers

noun

plural of clincher
as in aces in the hole
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clinchers Daytona will always be big, as will championship clinchers. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 13 Feb. 2026 Manager Rob Thomson punctuated the Phillies' postseason clinchers over the years with a call-and-response in the clubhouse, asking Realmuto how many more wins were needed to win the World Series. — CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026 Four games, all of them potential Division Series clinchers … on the same day? — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinchers
  1. toppers
  2. crushers
  3. cappers
  4. factors
  5. determinants
Noun
  • Slipcovers and sofa toppers move from utilitarian to design-forward.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • However, the festival toppers stress that this doesn’t mean any attention will be taken away from Japanese titles.
    — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of toppers
Noun
  • The video featured resistance training combos, like squats paired with overhead dumbbell presses, and another including skull crushers with a barbell and reverse crunches.
    — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Hundreds of Denver comics also performed there, with nationally touring acts such as Ben Roy and Andrew Orvedahl (Cayton-Holland’s Grawlix partners) and crushers such as Josh Blue, Janae Burris, Troy Walker, and Christie Buchele.
    — John Wenzel, Denver Post, 16 July 2026
Definition of crushers
Noun
  • There is a high probability that following the team regularly will lead to securing tickets via ballots — but only the top cappers have guarantees.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
  • But unlike other series cappers, Last Rites didn’t try to be a summation of every demonic threat the duo has ever encountered, instead opting for another familial story by way of 1986’s Smurl haunting in Pennsylvania.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025
Definition of cappers
Noun
  • Drugs or alcohol did not appear to be factors in the collision, Harper said.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • During an informational webinar IFG hosted in February, Aydin, the embryologist, was upfront that many factors can cause fertility issues in older women, and that a mitochondrial donation might not solve them.
    — Megan Molteni, STAT, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of factors
Noun
  • Many of those outcomes can be attributed to social determinants of health, like affordability, care access and transportation.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Callender spearheaded a sprawling new vision for Memorial Hermann that focused on addressing social determinants of health, or the social and economic conditions that influence individual and community health.
    — Julian Gill, Houston Chronicle, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of determinants

Browse Nearby Words

clincher
clinchers
clinches
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Clinchers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinchers. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All