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
Standing in a drenched shirt with goggles on his head amid Toronto’s division-clinching celebration, Guerrero didn’t promise any upcoming feature films.
—
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Photos from the Cincinnati Reds' celebration after clinching a playoff spot.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Sep. 2025
In 2005, shortly after arriving in orbit around the ringed planet, the joint NASA–European Space Agency (ESA) Cassini mission found clinching evidence that Enceladus harbored a liquid-water ocean beneath its bright-white icy crust—plumes of seawater spraying up from the moon’s south pole.
—Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2025
Champagne flowed in the Boston Red Sox clubhouse on Friday as the team celebrated clinching a playoff spot.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025
The Cleveland Guardians completed their remarkable September surge on Saturday, clinching an improbable playoff berth after beating the Texas Rangers 3-2 on a walk-off hit by pitch.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Since clinching the win, Grimm headlined the first-ever AGT tour.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Inter Miami beat New York City FC on the road — clinching a playoff spot and continuing its push for a second consecutive Supporters’ Shield.
—Franco Panizo, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Crochet, Boston's ace, will take the mound looking to get the Red Sox within arm's reach of clinching their own playoff spot.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Photos from the Cincinnati Reds' celebration after clinching a playoff spot.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Sep. 2025
In 2005, shortly after arriving in orbit around the ringed planet, the joint NASA–European Space Agency (ESA) Cassini mission found clinching evidence that Enceladus harbored a liquid-water ocean beneath its bright-white icy crust—plumes of seawater spraying up from the moon’s south pole.
—Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2025
Champagne flowed in the Boston Red Sox clubhouse on Friday as the team celebrated clinching a playoff spot.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025
The Cleveland Guardians completed their remarkable September surge on Saturday, clinching an improbable playoff berth after beating the Texas Rangers 3-2 on a walk-off hit by pitch.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Since clinching the win, Grimm headlined the first-ever AGT tour.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Inter Miami beat New York City FC on the road — clinching a playoff spot and continuing its push for a second consecutive Supporters’ Shield.
—Franco Panizo, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Crochet, Boston's ace, will take the mound looking to get the Red Sox within arm's reach of clinching their own playoff spot.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinching
Verb
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Perhaps Moreno was still deciding on Minasian’s status with the club.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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The new wording also gives the council wiggle room in deciding the city manager's annual salary, contract term and amount of severance pay.—
Maritza Dominguez,
AZCentral.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Louisville Metro officials are now determining local zoning rules to accommodate these new facilities, with a proposal to allow them in downtown without special permits.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency has some resources for determining this measurement, which is called the Base Flood Elevation, or BFE.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Farmingdale, New York — After a weekend of absolute bedlam at Bethpage, the dust is settling on an extraordinary Ryder Cup competition.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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The Buckeyes unexpectedly trailed Washington 3-0 late in the second quarter and were one stop away from settling for a field goal, which would’ve caused Husky Stadium to erupt.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clinching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinching. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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