cinch

1
[ sinch ]
/ sɪntʃ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR cinch ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a strong girth used on stock saddles, having a ring at each end to which a strap running from the saddle is secured.
a firm hold or tight grip.
Informal.
  1. something sure or easy: This problem is a cinch.
  2. a person or thing certain to fulfill an expectation, especially a team or contestant certain to win a sporting event: The Giants are a cinch to win Sunday's game.

verb (used with object)

to gird with a cinch; gird or bind firmly.
Informal. to seize on or make sure of; guarantee: Ability and hard work cinched her success.

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Origin of cinch

1
1855–60, Americanism; < Spanish cincha < Latin cingula girth, equivalent to cing(ere) to gird + -ula -ule

Words nearby cinch

ciment fondu, cimetidine, cimex, cimmerian, cimon, cinch, cinch belt, cinchona, cinchonidine, cinchonine, cinchonism

Definition for cinch (2 of 2)

cinch2
[ sinch ]
/ sɪntʃ /

noun Cards.

a variety of the game all fours.

Origin of cinch

2
1885–90; perhaps < Spanish cinco five, a card game
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to cinch

cakewalk, snap, breeze

Example sentences from the Web for cinch

British Dictionary definitions for cinch (1 of 2)

cinch1
/ (sɪntʃ) /

noun

slang an easy task
slang a certainty
US and Canadian a band around a horse's belly to keep the saddle in positionAlso called (in Britain and certain other countries): girth
informal a firm grip

verb

Word Origin for cinch

C19: from Spanish cincha saddle girth, from Latin cingula girdle, from cingere to encircle

British Dictionary definitions for cinch (2 of 2)

cinch2
/ (sɪntʃ) /

noun

a card game in which the five of trumps ranks highest

Word Origin for cinch

C19: probably from cinch 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012