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
The phones, made by companies including Samsung, Motorola, Huawei, and Google, vary in size, with inside screens ranging from five to eight-plus inches. — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 The immediate challenge is that High-NA EUV will initially continue using today’s 6-inch photomasks. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
Chris Bell is inching closer and closer to making his NFL debut on Friday in the Miami Dolphins’ preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons. — Omar Kelly august 25, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026 Concord and Livermore may inch into the low 90s on Sunday, but the hotter spots in the rest of the region won’t escape the upper 80s, according to the weather service. — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 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
  • Potentially the final step before Aaron Judge returns to the majors is happening on Monday in an empty Yankee Stadium.
    — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • As a 6-foot, 165-pound senior receiver for Moorpark, his quick first step combined with his jumping ability is making Musketeer fans think of their greatest athlete, NFL receiver Drake London.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of step
Noun
  • In the early stage of the trip, the twin-engine jets headed for Alaska and passed over Greenland, where an Airbus A400M support plane capable of landing on ice was stationed.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026
  • But officials did not prioritize reusability in Vulcan’s design, with no plans to reuse the rocket’s booster stage and only tentative plans to eventually recover and reuse Vulcan’s main engines.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of stage
Noun
  • Competitors had to lift them onto podiums at different heights in the quickest time possible.
    — Rob Tanner, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The height variations alone generated strong ESM signals, proving that false data could appear out of thin air.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of height
Verb
  • Uber Technologies will lay off about 3,300 employees, or 10% of staff, in its largest cuts since the COVID-19 pandemic, to better navigate the rise of robotaxis encroaching on its ride-hailing business.
    — Akash Sriram, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • But what do athletes think of robots not only encroaching on their turf, but surpassing their achievements?
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of encroach
Verb
  • Planning a trip between friends is like a game of chess, between coordinating schedules, budgets and other logistics that can drag on, no matter how fun the trip sounds.
    — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Any attempt to walk him ended with me dragged across the asphalt behind his drumstick legs.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of drag
Noun
  • Although it can be used once daily, glycolic-acid newcomers and sensitive skin types may want to start with two or three evenings a week—whether applying it to the face, scalp, or rough patches below the neck—and work their way up.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 6 Sep. 2026
  • To accessorize, the socialite donned an array of Pasquale Bruni designs on her fingers and around her neck, all affixed with high-shine gold and diamonds galore.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of neck
Noun
  • Beginning in the fall of 2021, the first chapter of Loktev’s documentary epic charted the months leading up to the Ukraine invasion.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • What was sworn to be the final chapter in a revolutionary trilogy, the shift in tone from the first two installments can be attributed to a change in writers.
    — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of chapter
Verb
  • In fact, agents are better equipped to do this than LLMs, as they can be configured more accurately to crawl certain sites or sources and therefore return more accurate results.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Their mother had crawled, wounded, on the floor before the brothers fired a final, fatal blast.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 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 13 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on inch

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about inch

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