clench

[klench]

verb (used with object)

1. to close (the hands, teeth, etc.) tightly.

2. to grasp firmly; grip.

   Synonyms: clutch, clasp

3. clinch.

4. clinch.

verb (used without object)

1. to close or knot up tightly.

   His hands clenched as he faced his enemy.

noun

1. the act of clenching.

2. a tight hold; grip.

3. something that clenches or holds fast.

4. clinch.

clench

/ klɛntʃ /

verb

1. to close or squeeze together (the teeth, a fist, etc) tightly

2. to grasp or grip firmly

noun

1. a firm grasp or grip

2. a device that grasps or grips, such as a clamp

noun

1. another word for clinch

Word History and Origins

Origin of clench¹

1200–50; Middle English clenchen; compare Old English beclencan hold fast

Word History and Origins

Origin of clench¹

Old English beclencan, related to Old High German klenken to tie, Middle High German klank noose, Dutch klinken rivet

Example Sentences

Modern white supremacy burns through the exhibition, both as searing illumination of its vile contours and as clenched fury at its intractable endurance.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I felt my heart clench, because it’s like, “Oh, there she really is.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

At the helm of a massive shiny black truck bearing the Teamsters insignia, a driver clenched a cigar between his teeth as he steered with one hand and pulled an overhead horn with the other.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When she weakly advises him to tuck in the shirt a little more, he snarls through a clenched jaw, “It’s tucked into my socks!”

Read more on Salon

Lights down, armrest gripped, teeth clenched - just an average evening at the cinema for a horror film fan.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• clamp 
• clasp 
• clutch