inch

¹ American  

[inch] / ɪntʃ /

noun

1. a unit of length, 1/12 (0.0833) foot, equivalent to 2.54 centimeters. in.

2. a very small amount of anything; narrow margin.

   to win by an inch;

   to avert disaster by an inch.

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verb (used with or without object)

inches, present (3rd person singular) inched, past participle, past inching present participle

1. to move by inches or small degrees.

   We inched our way along the road.

idioms

1. every inch, in every respect; completely.

   That horse is every inch a thoroughbred.

2. within an inch of, nearly; close to.

   He came within an inch of getting killed in the crash.

3. by inches,

   1. narrowly; by a narrow margin.

      escaped by inches.

   2. Also inch by inch. by small degrees or stages; gradually.

      The miners worked their way through the narrow shaft inch by inch.

inch ² American  

[inch] / ɪntʃ /

noun

Scot.

1. a small island near the seacoast.

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inch ¹ British  

/ ɪntʃ /

noun

1. a small island

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inch ² British  

/ ɪntʃ /

noun

1. a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot or 0.0254 metre

2. meteorol

   1. an amount of precipitation that would cover a surface with water one inch deep

      five inches of rain fell in January

   2. a unit of pressure equal to a mercury column one inch high in a barometer

3. a very small distance, degree, or amount

4. in every way; completely

   he was every inch an aristocrat

5. gradually; little by little

6. very close to

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verb

1. to move or be moved very slowly or in very small steps

   the car inched forward

2. to defeat (someone) by a very small margin

inch Scientific  

/ ĭnch /

1. A unit of length in the US Customary System equal to 1/12 of a foot (2.54 centimeters).

2. See Table at measurement

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inch More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing inch

• by inches
• every inch
• give an inch
• within an ace (inch) of

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• inching
  present
• inched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• inch
  simple
• inches
  simple
• have inched
  perfect
• has inched
  perfect
• am inching
  progressive
• are inching
  progressive
• is inching
  progressive
• have been inching
  perfect progressive
• has been inching
  perfect progressive

Past

• inched
  simple
• had inched
  perfect
• was inching
  progressive
• were inching
  progressive
• had been inching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will inch
  simple
• will have inched
  perfect
• will be inching
  progressive
• will have been inching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of inch¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English inch(e), unch(e), enche, Old English ynce, from Latin uncia “twelfth part, inch, ounce”; see origin at ounce ¹

Origin of inch²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Scots Gaelic innse, genitive of innis “island,” Old Irish inis, cognate with Welsh ynys, Breton enez

Explanation

An inch is a small unit of measurement. Twelve inches makes one foot. You might get an inch of your hair cut off, or hem your jeans so they're an inch shorter. Some countries use centimeters and meters as units of measurement, but if you measure in inches, you can order a twelve inch pizza or print out three by five inch photos. When inch is used as a verb, it means "to creep slowly forward." The Old English version was ynce, from the Latin uncia, "a twelfth part."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inch inches inched inching

Laura Marnas, who has explored every inch of town as director of the St. Tropez office for the Magrey & Sons real estate agency, appreciates its “bohemian-chic ambience away from the hustle and bustle.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Bumblebees may be small, measuring only about an inch long, but they play an enormous role in global agriculture.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026

But they also store less energy per cubic inch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

The timers’ skittishness suggests that their optimism is a mile wide but only an inch deep.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

But instead it was a small boy with dark brown hair and freckles polka-dotting every inch of his pale skin.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

Cooper described one of the other men as a bald Black man, approximately 5 feet 9 inches or 5 feet 10 inches tall, with light-brown or hazel eyes and a blue patterned crew-neck shirt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

Bertha was expected to produce 2 to 4 inches of rainfall, with isolated totals around 6 inches, through Thursday, from western Florida into southern Louisiana, making flash flooding possible especially in urban areas.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

This week, water levels at Kaub—the closely watched water gauge at the shallow stretch of the Rhine downstream from Naegler’s winery—fell below 50 centimeters, or almost 20 inches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

On a boat that size, he said, the line would probably be about 1½ or 2 inches thick.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

“Can’t talk, Anthony!” he said, glancing back just long enough to see Anthony flicker in and out of view, less than six inches from his face.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate loan inched up this week to 6.49%, adding to the affordability crunch many prospective home buyers are feeling.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

The 30-year mortgage rate inched up by 6 basis points on Thursday, to 6.49%, on the back of renewed tensions with Iran.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Volumes of automotive fuels inched down 0.5% after tumbling by 3.6% in April, Eurostat said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Chicken is down 0.8% and cheese has inched down 0.9%.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

Her stomach knitted as she inched closer and closer to the back of the trolley.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Economists aren’t quite sure what to expect from Warsh, as his colleagues seem to be inching closer to wanting rate hikes.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

Investors had braced in recent weeks for a higher-for-longer posture from the Fed, but this was sharper and reflected a committee inching from a watchful hold toward readiness to raise rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

“I like that we’re inching it forward just a little bit. ‘Game of Thrones’ in 2026,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

Stock futures were rising late Sunday, and oil futures fell after the Trump administration hinted officials are inching closer to a deal with Iran to end the three-month conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

From Barron's ● May 24, 2026

On her nightstand, her clock glowed green, the numbers already inching toward the time she had to get up for school, but she had a good hour at least.

From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake