as in clenching
to close or secure (something, such as a door) with a latch
latch the gate
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Recent Examples of latching
Berhalter tied the score again four minutes into the second half, latching onto a loose ball at the top of the penalty area and one-hopping a right-footed shot just inside the near post.
—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2026
Here against Casa Pia, for example, Suarez sets off at speed as soon as the ball breaks loose, latching onto an outside-of-the-boot pass with a run into the channels that is reminiscent of Gyokeres at Sporting last season.
—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Leslie Mann delivers a heartwarming performance as a woman drifting through a midlife reset, latching onto two college students locked in a subtle competition for her attention.
—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
The strategy is paying off, with an increasing number of listeners latching onto Toledo’s great versions of these soul/pop/R&B classics.
—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Fifth-place Monaco grabbed a second goal 10 minutes into the second half when midfielder Aleksandr Golovin, who had just come on, slid the ball into the bottom corner after latching onto a cross from the right.
—
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Now, some are latching onto the wave of anti-OpenAI sentiment to voice broader critiques of the company.
—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
5 Mar. 2026
One very funny snippet has Elvis giving a sweet peck on the cheek to a little girl at the lip of the stage followed by what appears to be her big sister latching her lips onto him like a mollusk before being peeled off by her mother.
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
Naval warfare goes a bit clingy as Lockheed Martin unveils its robotic Lamprey Multi-Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (MMAUV), which can hitch a ride on friendly ships or submarines by latching onto their hulls to conserve power.
—
David Szondy
february 09,
New Atlas,
9 Feb. 2026
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2026
Here against Casa Pia, for example, Suarez sets off at speed as soon as the ball breaks loose, latching onto an outside-of-the-boot pass with a run into the channels that is reminiscent of Gyokeres at Sporting last season.
—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Leslie Mann delivers a heartwarming performance as a woman drifting through a midlife reset, latching onto two college students locked in a subtle competition for her attention.
—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
The strategy is paying off, with an increasing number of listeners latching onto Toledo’s great versions of these soul/pop/R&B classics.
—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Fifth-place Monaco grabbed a second goal 10 minutes into the second half when midfielder Aleksandr Golovin, who had just come on, slid the ball into the bottom corner after latching onto a cross from the right.
—
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Now, some are latching onto the wave of anti-OpenAI sentiment to voice broader critiques of the company.
—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
5 Mar. 2026
One very funny snippet has Elvis giving a sweet peck on the cheek to a little girl at the lip of the stage followed by what appears to be her big sister latching her lips onto him like a mollusk before being peeled off by her mother.
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
Naval warfare goes a bit clingy as Lockheed Martin unveils its robotic Lamprey Multi-Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (MMAUV), which can hitch a ride on friendly ships or submarines by latching onto their hulls to conserve power.
—
David Szondy
february 09,
New Atlas,
9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for latching
Verb
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While not everyone experiences such dramatic effects, experts say stress, clenching and even past trauma can contribute to TMJ issues.
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The Beloved, his first film in Competition at Cannes, is an incredible achievement that builds on all those films and leaves them standing in the dust, hitting all the same tense throat-clenching beats but somehow transcending genre altogether.
Verb
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Offside was brought in to stop ‘goal hanging’ in the sport’s early years, which had created the unedifying spectacle of players perpetually crowding the goalkeeper.
-
Other footage showed residents sheltering near a metro station as strikes hit the capital, as well as heavy damage across Kyiv, including residential buildings torn apart and thick smoke hanging over parts of the city.
Verb
-
As Dubner himself acknowledged in the anniversary foreword, the original book was written without a central thesis tying everything together.
-
In an exclusive clip shared with PEOPLE, Risico says Wilder, who had already killed multiple women, electrically shocked different parts of her body after tying her up in a motel room.
Verb
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Aabria, by contrast, leans on personality and connection, clasping hands with the jurors and complimenting them before calmly lying about the rules of the bra contest and her victory.
-
The cap’s crown is decorated with three clasping hands symbolizing unity and brotherhood.
Verb
-
One of her upcoming styles could even be spotted at a New York Knicks finals games prior to the team clinching their historic 2026 NBA championship win.
-
Josh Hader, Hunter Brown, Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes teamed to secure Sunday’s series-clinching 7-5 win, but that is their expectation.
Verb
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With buckets of glue in hand, families and friends have taken to pasting images of the victims across the city to make sure they’re not forgotten.
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This led to the cutting and pasting practice whereby smaller rural or town newspapers borrowed from the larger newspapers in urban centers.
Verb
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Meanwhile, special bags and a clamping system lock away smells that put a damper on cuddle time with your sweet new arrival.
-
However, instead of the pilot starting the engines during pushback and the tug disconnecting afterward, TaxiBot remains attached to the nose gear via a specialized pivoting clamping platform.
Verb
-
What made jazz so distinct was the freedom embedded into its structure, with musicians improvising, trading solos and bending notes together.
-
The play started with LAFC teammate Jacob Shaffelburg bending a cross into the middle of the box, where South African center back Ime Okon tried to head to clear.
Cite this Entry
“Latching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/latching. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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