as in deciding
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 clinching
Or the goal may be clinching a big add-on acquisition, or satisfying an unforeseen surge in sales by constructing new plants.
—
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter knows all too well the feeling of celebrating on the baseball diamond after clinching a World Series title.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Jeremy Bennett’s program is now a win away from clinching its second winning season in the last three years.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 25 Oct. 2025
Last week, his unique skill set was on display again, with three home runs at the plate and 10 strikeouts over six shutout innings on the mound, clinching the Los Angeles Dodgers’ return to the World Series.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2025
The Los Angeles Dodgers will have a chance to defend their World Series title in this year’s Fall Classic after a Game 4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, clinching a four-game sweep in the National League Championship Series.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
Fourteen Grade 1 races worth a total of more than $34 million will be contested, drawing top-level horses and their owners, trainers, breeders and jockeys who have hopes of clinching year-end division titles.
—Kelley Carlson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Oct. 2025
The Los Angeles Dodgers are entering Friday's NLCS Game 4 one win away from clinching a spot in the World Series.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
But Mamdani soared in the polls in the weeks leading up to Election Day, and ended up clinching the Party’s nomination.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter knows all too well the feeling of celebrating on the baseball diamond after clinching a World Series title.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Jeremy Bennett’s program is now a win away from clinching its second winning season in the last three years.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 25 Oct. 2025
Last week, his unique skill set was on display again, with three home runs at the plate and 10 strikeouts over six shutout innings on the mound, clinching the Los Angeles Dodgers’ return to the World Series.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2025
The Los Angeles Dodgers will have a chance to defend their World Series title in this year’s Fall Classic after a Game 4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, clinching a four-game sweep in the National League Championship Series.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
Fourteen Grade 1 races worth a total of more than $34 million will be contested, drawing top-level horses and their owners, trainers, breeders and jockeys who have hopes of clinching year-end division titles.
—Kelley Carlson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Oct. 2025
The Los Angeles Dodgers are entering Friday's NLCS Game 4 one win away from clinching a spot in the World Series.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
But Mamdani soared in the polls in the weeks leading up to Election Day, and ended up clinching the Party’s nomination.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinching
Verb
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The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered all McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft grounded pending further inspection, following UPS and FedEx each deciding to ground the planes that make up part of their cargo fleet.—
NPR,
NPR,
9 Nov. 2025
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The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will take part in a showdown this Sunday at Levi's Stadium that could possibly end up deciding who finishes first in the NFC West.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The investigators found that Tarrant County Jail personnel acted in accordance with jail policies after determining Phillips was in medical distress.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
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Sacramento County coroner’s officials had not yet positively identified McClintic and were determining what caused the man’s death.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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North Carolina Electric Cooperatives estimates that heating can eat up as much as half of a home’s energy use, and with fall settling in, that can mean steeper bills ahead.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Nov. 2025
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Soika, a surgeon, unsuccessfully tried to book a rental car to get to Utah for a weekend trip before settling on an option that seemed straight out of Hollywood.—
JOSH FUNK,
Arkansas Online,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clinching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinching. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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