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
As Ngumoha continued to threaten in the minutes that followed, Mac Allister would not be denied a second time, latching onto a loose ball in the box to secure victory.
—
Gregg Evans, New York Times, 23 Feb. 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
Some bright minds are already latching onto this idea.
—Anthony Digiorgio, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
According to the commission, standards include general requirements such as corner posts, protective components, openings, latching and locking mechanisms, as well as performance requirements like height of sides, mesh requirements and mattress vertical displacement.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
So before latching onto the latest diet fad, take a deep breath and head outside instead.
—CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
This sent Teddy down a rabbit hole of Internet conspiracy theories that ultimately led to him latching onto the idea that Michelle is an alien-in-disguise from the Andromeda galaxy who was sent to Earth as part of a plot to wipe out humanity.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
A lot of people in his position might have let persona take over when the audience is sort of latching onto that image.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
Gregg Evans, New York Times, 23 Feb. 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
Some bright minds are already latching onto this idea.
—Anthony Digiorgio, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
According to the commission, standards include general requirements such as corner posts, protective components, openings, latching and locking mechanisms, as well as performance requirements like height of sides, mesh requirements and mattress vertical displacement.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
So before latching onto the latest diet fad, take a deep breath and head outside instead.
—CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
This sent Teddy down a rabbit hole of Internet conspiracy theories that ultimately led to him latching onto the idea that Michelle is an alien-in-disguise from the Andromeda galaxy who was sent to Earth as part of a plot to wipe out humanity.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
A lot of people in his position might have let persona take over when the audience is sort of latching onto that image.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for latching
Verb
-
Melvin Council stood amid a crowd of his Kansas teammates, clenching a black belt in his fist.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Wole faced fixedly forward, both fists clenching the steering wheel.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Lakers star then passed to a hustling Austin Reaves, who took a few dribbles to get a Kings defender to commit before making an alley-oop pass to James for a two-handed, rim-hanging dunk.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
There could only be one reason for the black curtain hanging at Gampel Pavilion ahead of Saturday’s Senior Day game against Seton Hall.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Acton-Boxboro had taken a 1-0 lead in the second on Riley Bergeron’s goal, only for several waves of Arlington Catholic pressure to finally cash in on Kate Frawley’s game-tying goal early in the third.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Guests lingered late, revisiting the portrait installations and pausing to watch the videos again before collecting goodie bags—with keepsakes from La Mer, Zip Water, California Closets, and James Hardie included, tying the event back to AD’s broader focus on world-class innovation.—
Andrea Navarro,
Vogue,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Back at the gathering, there were Martha’s groans and Gretchen’s anger, and there was Mike, clasping his chest—a heart attack?—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Olympic nails have been seen clasping medals on more than one occasion.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Wi-Hi beat local rival Parkside High School 65-63 in overtime, earning a season sweep and clinching the Bayside South title.—
Josh Davis,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The league expects to wrap up the raise in 90 days, clinching a first close by the end of March and a second close at the end of April.—
Luisa Beltran,
Sportico.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Some of these trolls are merely pasting swastikas on their nihilism, but their ideological sincerity is irrelevant.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Otlet first experimented with cutting lines out of books and pasting them onto index cards.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Pressure-free battery operation Operating without high stack pressure removes the need for complex fixtures and heavy clamping systems.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Mar. 2026
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Because Bridges has already authored the type of plays that justified the acquisition — clamping Cunningham in a Game 6 elimination last postseason, then delivering a decisive defensive stop on Jaylen Brown to end Boston’s season in Round 2.—
Kristian Winfield,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At 24 inches long, the hot dog is too heavy to hold with both hands without bending under its own weight.—
Imelda García,
Dallas Morning News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Ergonomic shovels that have a bend allow the shovel head to be closer to ground and can help minimize bending.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Latching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/latching. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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