give/budge an inch

idiom

: to make even a slight change in opinion or attitude
I begged him to reconsider, but he wouldn't give/budge an inch.

Examples of give/budge an inch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Throughout all the cheering, sipping on drinks, and celebratory smooching, her lipstick didn't budge an inch. Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 30 Jan. 2024 Rimmel London Scandaleyes Waterproof Gel Eye Liner Pencil Now 25% Off $4 at Amazon$8 at Walmart London is notoriously rainy, but this waterproof eyeliner won’t budge an inch. Jessica Roy, ELLE, 16 June 2023 With their thick elastic band snug around my head, my goggles didn’t budge an inch. Sarah Kuta, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2023 The sturdy sculpture, however, didn’t budge an inch. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2023 But as the return to the office accelerates, many will inevitably have to communicate face-to-face again with ‘difficult’ colleagues – the boss who won’t budge an inch, or the colleague who storms off at the first sign of challenge. Anna Shields, Forbes, 28 Jan. 2022 According to him, his father is a man who would never change his opinion or give an inch or move his position. Dallas News, 30 July 2020 With neither team wanting to give an inch in their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series, the intensity, the choppiness, the shoves, and the elbows all heightened. BostonGlobe.com, 18 May 2021 The Game of the Century certainly lived up to the hype, at least to those who drooled over peak SEC defenses refusing to give an inch to offenses with names like Odell Beckham Jr., Trent Richardson, Russell Shepard and A.J. McCarron. Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 3 Dec. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'give/budge an inch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Give/budge an inch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%2Fbudge%20an%20inch. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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