cinch

[sinch]

SEE MORE 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.

something sure or easy: This problem is a cinch.
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.

Origin of cinch

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for cinched

settled, sure, guaranteed, closed, sealed, fixed, pronounced, distinct, determined, resolved, underwrite, shield, cover, assure, hedge, safeguard, guarantee, insure, confirm, ensure

Examples from the Web for cinched

Contemporary Examples of cinched

For example, some Kaftan-inspired dresses with flowing silhouettes were paired with belts which cinched the waistline.
Chloé Spring/ Summer 2014: Modern Exoticism
Liza Foreman
September 29, 2013
A standout was a seductive black trench with a cinched waist.
Lanvin Spring/ Summer 2014: All That Glitters
Liza Foreman
September 26, 2013
After all, the Vatican experts had predicted that a short conclave meant that one of the two frontrunners had cinched the deal.
An Argentine Runner-Up Gets the Catholic Church’s Top Job
Barbie Latza Nadeau
March 13, 2013
They had measurements of what her waist size was when she was cinched in and corseted.
Sally Field on Whether Mary Lincoln Was Bipolar, Oscars & More
Ramin Setoodeh
December 10, 2012
I got him down to the ground, took off his belt, and cinched it tightly around his biceps to stop the bleeding.
Send Bin Laden the Bill: Dakota Meyer on His Return From Afghanistan
Dakota Meyer
September 29, 2012

Historical Examples of cinched

The old man was cinched at last; Mackenzie was glad that it was so.
The Flockmaster of Poison Creek
George W. Ogden
But he climbed into the saddle which Jack had cinched for him.
Brand Blotters
William MacLeod Raine
Laying the saddle on swiftly, but gently, he cinched it strongly.
The Eagle's Heart
Hamlin Garland
He dismounted and cinched up his saddle and inspected his revolver.
With Hoops of Steel
Florence Finch Kelly
Sawtell seemed inclined to talk while he cinched up Las Vegas.
The Lone Ranger Rides
Fran Striker

British Dictionary definitions for cinched

cinch

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

(often foll by up) US and Canadian to fasten a girth around (a horse)

(tr) informal to make sure of

(tr) informal to get a firm grip on

Word Origin for cinch

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

cinch

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

Word Origin and History for cinched

cinch

1859, American English, "saddle-girth," from Spanish cincha "girdle," from Latin cingulum "a girdle, a swordbelt," from cingere "to surround, encircle," from PIE root *kenk- (1) "to gird, encircle" (cf. Sanskrit kankate "binds," kanci "girdle;" Lithuanian kinkau "to harness horses"). Replaced earlier surcingle. Sense of "an easy thing" is 1898, via notion of "a sure hold" (1888).

cinch

1866, "to pull in," from cinch (n.). Figurative meaning "make certain" is from 1891, American English slang. Related: Cinched; cinching.