as in clenches
to close or secure (something, such as a door) with a latch
latch the gate
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Recent Examples of latches
The robotic submarine latches onto the hull of friendly ships or submarines, conserving energy while traveling hundreds or thousands of miles to distant mission areas.
—
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
Typically said when someone copies a trend, latches onto a friend's obsession, or just teases in a playful way.
—Annabelle Canela, Parents, 5 Sep. 2025
That against-the-odds spirit is what the documentary crew latches onto as the thread tying their story together.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
Typically said when someone copies a trend, latches onto a friend's obsession, or just teases in a playful way.
—Annabelle Canela, Parents, 5 Sep. 2025
That against-the-odds spirit is what the documentary crew latches onto as the thread tying their story together.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for latches
Verb
-
As the comedy progresses, its buoyant tone clenches and darkens, and the plot bends and lurches, in ways that, to me, felt unnecessarily punitive toward both Haru and the audience.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
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As the infection takes hold, a patient’s jaw clenches, forcing the face into what appears to be a wide smile, and the back muscles contort into a painful arch.—
Mustafa Fattah,
NBC news,
24 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Lindo laughs, clasps his hands together and raises them.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Keeping that hardshell closed is a pair of wide, beefy aluminum latches with a lower swing arm that clasps to a closure bar via a pair of hooks.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Katerra still hangs over the industry like a specter.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Inside the team’s locker room at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, a jersey with the number 13 hangs proudly, honoring the late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau.—
Mark Scaglione,
NBC news,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Operating the facility safely will require close to 100 staff members, which directly ties to the broader recruitment and retention challenges at the Sheriff’s Office.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Dark, moody walls make the natural-wood bench and light floors stand out; a charming white dome pendant light ties the space together.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But what really clinches him as a great choice to round out the trio is his genuine enthusiasm and on-camera attitude.—
Andrew P. Collins,
The Drive,
5 Feb. 2026
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Here, glycerin clinches the starring role, preventing moisture evaporation; it’s joined by supporting actor hyaluronic acid, whose specialty is all things fine lines (and their prompt erasure).—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The sequencer pastes together the strings and the quality scores, along with some other metadata, read by read, to form what is called a FASTQ file.—
Dmitri Pavlichin,
IEEE Spectrum,
22 Aug. 2018
Verb
-
The device, which clamps onto the line just above the hook and pairs zinc and graphite in seawater, creates a small electric field about the size of a beachball around the hook, and rattles approaching sharks.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
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This is an adjustable graphics-card brace, and its screw tightens the part that clamps it to the slide.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
With that in mind, here are a few free agent options who could fit the Yankees if Bellinger bolts.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The canine then bolts across the field and is immediately chased by one horse, with about five more joining in moments later.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Latches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/latches. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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