inch 1 of 2

noun

ˈinch How to pronounce inch (audio)
Definition of inchnext
1
as in step
a very small distance or degree give them an inch, and they'll take a mile

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stage
an individual part of a process, series, or ranking inch by inch, we're making progress toward our fund-raising goal

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3
as in height
inches plural the distance of something or someone from bottom to top made the most of her inches by standing on her tiptoes to reach the top shelf

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inch

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to encroach
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits every year the water inches further up the embankments, threatening to permanently engulf the island city

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2
as in to drag
to move slowly the car inched carefully across the snow-covered causeway

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 inch
Noun
Pull out your phone instead of the 27-inch monitor where your strategy sessions happen. — Rhodes Kriske, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Engineering textbooks advise practitioners to limit any settlement to around 1 to 3 inches, depending on the soil. — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
Brent crude oil futures inched up to around $106 at noon Thursday, testing October’s highs as markets continued to focus on mounting risks to supply in the Middle East. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026 As the calendar inches closer to its opening, the chain is ramping up the search for its inaugural staff. — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inch
  1. step
  2. stage
  3. height
  4. encroach
  5. drag
  6. neck
  7. chapter
  8. crawl
Noun
  • The other two, Descript and Resemble AI, had taken steps to make nonconsensual cloning harder.
    — Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The first step will be to clarify what people need and organize the delivery of food, medicine, hygiene products and other essentials, Lantratova said in an online statement.
    — BEN FINLEY, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of step
Noun
  • The number of ballots cast two weeks from Election Day has reached nearly 1 million, up from roughly 550,000 at the same stage in 2022.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • That is late-stage private equity written on venture letterhead.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of stage
Noun
  • The performance of total transparency could reach comical heights.
    — Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Construction also has already begun on a second pad, LC-36B, for an even larger version of New Glenn, and with it a new vertical integration facility that can handle the new rockets’ heights.
    — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of height
Verb
  • The buzzer sounded and Banchero encroached on Johnson’s space before Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu tried to break them apart.
    — Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • In general, California property owners can trim branches and roots that encroach onto their land.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of encroach
Verb
  • Season 2 picks up from where things left off, with Michael and Diana having barely arrived in Spain when they are dragged back into the fold to answer questions around Ricardo’s death.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s spokesman denied Britain was being dragged in to the conflict.
    — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of drag
Noun
  • Election Day nears The stakes are high as the race Marshall was supposed to win handily is now neck-and-neck, according to recent polling.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Since the beginning of the episode, Lee’s been tailed by McMann’s skinny accomplice — the guy Ginger shot in the neck at the end of the season premiere.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of neck
Noun
  • More news The Democratic Socialists of America LA chapter endorsed Nithya Raman for mayor.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The same day, the suit says, the university’s chapter of the Chi Phi Xi fraternity was placed on temporary suspension for alleged violations of the student code of conduct.
    — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of chapter
Verb
  • On thinner material, that gives you a fighting chance at keeping heat and warpage under control without crawling along at a miserable pace.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The bystander told the woman to get down on the floor before crawling into the home beneath the heaviest heat and dragging her to safety, according to the fire department.
    — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of crawl

Phrases Containing inch

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incestuous
inch
in charge
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Cite this Entry

“Inch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inch. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about inch

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