clench
Americanverb (used with object)
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clenches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
clenched,
past participle, past
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clenching
present participle
verb (used without object)
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clenches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
clenched,
past participle, past
-
clenching
present participle
noun
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the act of clenching.
-
a tight hold; grip.
-
something that clenches or holds fast.
verb
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to close or squeeze together (the teeth, a fist, etc) tightly
-
to grasp or grip firmly
noun
-
a firm grasp or grip
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a device that grasps or grips, such as a clamp
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clenchsimple
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clenchessimple
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have clenchedperfect
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has clenchedperfect
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am clenchingprogressive
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are clenchingprogressive
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is clenchingprogressive
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have been clenchingperfect progressive
-
has been clenchingperfect progressive
Past
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clenchedsimple
-
had clenchedperfect
-
was clenchingprogressive
-
were clenchingprogressive
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had been clenchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of clench
1200–50; Middle English clenchen; compare Old English beclencan hold fast
Explanation
When you clench something, you grip, press, or squeeze it. You might clench your fists when you're angry or clench your teeth when you're worried, for example. People often clench parts of their own bodies, but they can also clench other things. Your grandmother might tend to clench you in her arms when you visit her, and a toddler might clench his stuffed animal to his chest when he falls asleep at night. The Old English root of clench is beclencan, which means "to hold fast or make cling," and it has the same origins as the word cling.
Vocabulary lists containing clench
"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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Ender's Game
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Inside Out & Back Again
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Faces clench before pivotal moments of conflict on stage.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
I get up there, I’m like, smile, don’t look like you’re shaking inside, pop the hip, float your arm down, don’t clench your hand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
I felt my heart clench, because it’s like, “Oh, there she really is.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025
As he was moved into the ambulance “his jaw suddenly started to clench down”, she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2024
I knew I could not run, so I would clench my fists and roll my eyes up to look at the ceiling as if maybe the tears would go back down into my eyes.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Somatic workout classes, characterized by minuscule clenches and releases, have exploded in popularity as an antidote to high-intensity exercise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
It’s like the face that Dorothy makes when she clenches her eyes shut and clicks her ruby red slippers to transport herself home.
From Slate ● May 12, 2024
Mercy clenches her hands and she thumps the table as she agrees.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2023
I get tense, and my jaw clenches as I make pathetic flink sounds instead of the solid whunk that results when your hammer really connects.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 28, 2022
“Perhaps you believe you are somebody now? Somebody of importance? Werner clenches his cap behind his back to keep his shoulders from quaking. “
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Ms. Porcaroli exhibits a clenched devotion to playing her lines perfectly straight; the script would be insufferable if she tried to be cute or funny.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
But in Monday’s game, the Sparks could only cling to the game with clenched fists as the gap widened.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
She celebrated with a clenched fist after a ferocious smash secured a break for a 4-1 lead.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
But this time, they pointedly clenched their fists into tight balls to avoid touching one another.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
His entire body was rigid, every muscle clenched, and her brain was on lockdown, too.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
In widely shared footage of the rescue, Gerson can be seen clenching his eyes shut and tilting his head back to the sky as he embraces his son, overwhelmed with emotion.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
After years spent clenching, tightening and torquing myself out of all types of alignment, I am ready to surrender my way back to something like order.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
They’re clenching their fists while they’re watching this keynote.
From New York Times ● Jun. 14, 2024
As a star player in the '60s and '70s, Simpson was eventually inducted into the Football Hall of Fame, clenching the title as one of the greatest running backs of all time.
From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2024
But his eyes are closed and he’s clenching his stomach.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
