clinch

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   To bend and hammer the point of (a nail) so it cannot be removed.

2. 2

   To clasp

   To clasp; to interlock.

   • “Beloved shipmates, clinch the last verse of the first chapter of Jonah—‘And God had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.’”
3. 3

   To fasten securely or permanently.

4. ›+ 16 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      To make certain

      To make certain; to finalize.

      • I already planned to buy the car, but the color was what really clinched it for me.
      • 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.
   2. 5

      To hold firmly

      To hold firmly; to clench

   3. 6

      To set closely together

      To set closely together; to close tightly.

      • to clinch the teeth or the fist
      • [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.
   4. 7

      To hold a boxing opponent with one or both arms so as to avoid being hit while resting…

      To hold a boxing opponent with one or both arms so as to avoid being hit while resting momentarily

   5. 8

      To secure a spot (e.g., at the divisional championship) before the end of regular season…

      To secure a spot (e.g., at the divisional championship) before the end of regular season play by having an insurmountable lead.

      • It put the U.S. on the brink of clinching a spot in the quarterfinals.
   6. 9

      To embrace passionately.

   7. 10

      Any of several fastenings.

   8. 11

      The act of bending and hammering the point of a nail so it cannot be removed.

   9. 12

      The act or process of holding fast

      The act or process of holding fast; that which serves to hold fast.

      • to get a good clinch of an antagonist, or of a weapon
      • to secure anything by a clinch
   10. 13

       A pun.

   11. 14

       A hitch or bend by which a rope is made fast to the ring of an anchor, or the breeching…

       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.

   12. 15

       A passionate embrace.

       • 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.
       • 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 […]
   13. 16

       The act of one or both fighters holding onto the other to prevent being hit or engage in…

       The act of one or both fighters holding onto the other to prevent being hit or engage in standup grappling.

   14. 17

       A prison sentence.

       • COOMBE: He got the clinch only last week — eighteen months. You see it's no good having anybody here as ain't got a^([sic]) unblemished character. We don't want to have the bluebottles come sniffing round here, do we?
   15. 18

       A surname.

   16. 19

       A river in Virginia and Tennessee, United States, a tributary of the Tennessee River,…

       A river in Virginia and Tennessee, United States, a tributary of the Tennessee River, named after an 18th century explorer.

The neighborhood

• neighborclench
• neighborclincher
• neighborclinch nut