Wiktionary

clinch

See also: Clinch

English

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Etymology

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16th-century alteration of clench.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /klɪnt͡ʃ/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪntʃ

Verb

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clinch (third-person singular simple present clinches, present participle clinching, simple past and past participle clinched)

  1. To bend and hammer the point of (a nail) so it cannot be removed. [from 1560s]
  2. To clasp; to interlock.
  3. To fasten securely or permanently.
  4. To make certain; to finalize. [from 1716]
    I already planned to buy the car, but the color was what really clinched it for me.
    • 2011 October 29, Neil Johnston, “Norwich 3 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport‎[1]:
      Vincent Kompany was sent off after conceding a penalty that was converted by Stephen Hunt to give Wolves hope. But Adam Johnson's curling shot in stoppage time clinched the points.
  5. To hold firmly; to clench
    Synonyms: clasp, grasp, grip; see also Thesaurus:grasp
  6. To set closely together; to close tightly.
    Synonyms: attach, join, put together; see also Thesaurus:join
    to clinch the teeth or the fist
    • 1731 (date written, published 1745), Jonathan Swift, “[Directions to Servants.] The Duty of Servants at Inns.”, in Thomas Sheridan, John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, […], new edition, volume XVI, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1801, →OCLC, page 175:
      [T]ry if the heads of the nails [of horseshoes] be fast, and whether they be well clinched; if not, send presently for a smith; always stand by while the smith is employed.
  7. To hold a boxing opponent with one or both arms so as to avoid being hit while resting momentarily [1860s]
  8. To secure a spot (e.g., at the divisional championship) before the end of regular season play by having an insurmountable lead.
    • 2023 August 31, Seattle Times:
      It put the U.S. on the brink of clinching a spot in the quarterfinals.
  9. To embrace passionately.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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clinch (plural clinches)

 
(Sense 6) One wrestler is trying to get the back.
  1. Any of several fastenings.
  2. The act or process of holding fast; that which serves to hold fast.
    Synonyms: grip, grasp
    to get a good clinch of an antagonist, or of a weapon
    to secure anything by a clinch
  3. (obsolete) A pun.
  4. (nautical) A hitch or bend by which a rope is made fast to the ring of an anchor, or the breeching of a ship's gun to the ringbolts.
  5. A passionate embrace.
    • 2015, Judith Arnold, Moondance:
      More likely, he was letting her know that his visit this morning was not going to end in a clinch—or something steamier. It was going to be about sitting at a table, drinking coffee and talking.
    • 2021 June 25, Marina Hyde, “Matt Hancock, the one-time sex cop now busted for a dodgy clinch”, in The Guardian‎[2]:
      So, then, to the health secretary’s “steamy clinch” with Gina Coladangelo, the lobbyist and long-term friend he took on as an aide last year […]
  6. (wrestling, combat sports) The act of one or both fighters holding onto the other to prevent being hit or engage in standup grappling.
  7. (slang, archaic) A prison sentence.
    • 1882, Henry Herman, Henry Arthur Jones, The Silver King:
      COOMBE: He got the clinch only last week — eighteen months. You see it's no good having anybody here as ain't got a unblemished character. We don't want to have the bluebottles come sniffing round here, do we?

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Czech: klinč
  • → German: Clinch
  • → French: clinch
  • → Portuguese: clinche
  • → Russian: клинч (klinč)
  • → Serbo-Croatian: klȉnč
  • → Polish: klincz
  • → Swedish: klinch

Translations

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See also

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Further reading

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French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English clinch.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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clinch m (plural clinchs)

  1. clinch
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