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
As the 2026 Emmys inch ever closer and Vanity Fair finalizes our 2026 Emmy winner predictions, our printable Emmys ballot 2026 is here to capture your winner picks across 26 categories, from best drama to outstanding reality TV host. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 1 Sep. 2026 Edouard is expected to produce rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches, with maximum totals of up to 9 inches in parts of the Upper Texas Coast inland through east-central Texas. — Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
Verb
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 Specialists on the phone with their clients kept their paddles in the air as the bids inched higher and higher. — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 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
  • This week, just steps from the garden, Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech (mYSLm), a 43,000-square-foot museum designed by the architectural firm Studio KO, opens its doors to the public.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The crucial step was making the two charge sheets nearly equal.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of step
Noun
  • Taylor had grown up watching reruns of the sitcom on cable and even played Marcia in a stage show.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Three-stage response to drone attacks SCILT NAVAL combines its detection equipment and effectors in one onboard system.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of stage
Noun
  • The zoning change would be necessary to build a development of that scale because local zoning guidelines for the downtown area cap building heights at four stories.
    — Alexandra Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Now, 15 years later, Cook has catapulted the company to stratospheric heights by forging his own path.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 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
  • The playbook that drove the first $100 million starts to drag.
    — Doug May, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • This occurs with minimal working capital drag, since fulfillment runs through pre-established pharmacy networks rather than capital-intensive durable equipment logistics.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 1 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
  • Installation doesn’t require crews to manually crawl along hundreds of miles of line.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The Leao Tires subbrand has a huge range of truck, bus, and tractor tires for everything from daily driving on pavement to slow crawling through muddy farm fields.
    — Michael Febbo, The Drive, 2 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 6 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on inch

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about inch

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