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
Apple HomeView, which the company announced on Tuesday, is a smart home device that features a recycled aluminum screen with a 7-inch Liquid Retina display, on a domed speaker base. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 Not closer to the hole and not 3 feet away but within 18 inches back or lateral. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
The defense has inched closer to the line of scrimmage, leaving some gaps behind them. — Sam McDowell 7, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2026 Martin notes that the speed bump Skydance hit in the approval process — the antitrust lawsuit filed by 12 states — cost them probably another $500 million in higher interest fees on short-term debt as rates have inched up. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 5 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 first step is to establish an identity of how to give that represents your core values.
    — Melissa Stevens, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • District officials took the unprecedented step of shutting down all district computer systems to limit the damage.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of step
Noun
  • Actor Alan Mandell, who died at 98, helped shape Los Angeles theater as a performer, director, administrator and arts supporter whose influence stretched from experimental stages to the Mark Taper Forum.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • There was a swanky post All3Media-Banijay wedding party in Cannes’ iconic Carlton Hotel and Jeff Zucker and Marco Bassetti took to the MIPCOM stage.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of stage
Noun
  • The entrance has a double-height ceiling topped with glass, while the main living room is two stories tall with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the garden.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Michael Stambaugh looks through a clinometer, an eyepiece that uses triangulation to measure tree heights, vertical angles, and slope steepness.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of height
Verb
  • Yet the snap decision to have Danantara take over exports—announced by Prabowo in May—has unnerved analysts who worry about encroaching state control of the economy, as well as at the sovereign wealth fund.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • These industry changes come at an uncertain time as artificial intelligence encroaches on the creative field and consumers are turning to social media platforms for music consumption and discovery.
    — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of encroach
Verb
  • Dozens of locations in the central and southern US will soar to record high temperatures on Tuesday, but the incoming front will drag those highs down by more than 30 degrees in many locales by Friday or Saturday.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
  • As the comet rotates, fresh ice enters the sunlight and sublimates; the escaping gas then drags entrained dust particles away from the nucleus.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of drag
Noun
  • Still, Ginger warms to him, confiding that she’s been followed around the ceremony by two men — a lanky guy with a neck tattoo and a brawnier guy with a penchant for Werther’s Originals.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • While filming a scene where Stallone got tackled by WWE legend Steve Austin, the stunt went wrong and left Stallone with dislocated shoulders and a fractured neck that required more than seven back surgeries.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of neck
Noun
  • The working group of administrators and Greek life representatives created action plans for each chapter to resume operations in fall 2018 based on a blind review of their previous four years.
    — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Seeing a few chapters out of context is not going to deliver the same thrill as cracking open the new book and reading as the author intended.
    — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of chapter
Verb
  • In May 2025, after Williams shut off the water in a cell, 10 inmates removed a toilet, crawled through a gap in the wall and scaled a fence out of the jail.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • At the hospital, an insect fell from the girl’s shoe, and a staffer saw a cockroach crawling on her, the district attorney’s office said.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 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 18 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on inch

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about inch

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