clench
to close (the hands, teeth, etc.) tightly.
to grasp firmly; grip.
to close or knot up tightly: His hands clenched as he faced his enemy.
the act of clenching.
a tight hold; grip.
something that clenches or holds fast.
Origin of clench
1Other words for clench
Words that may be confused with clench
- clench , clinch
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use clench in a sentence
Thenceforward the name nails down and clenches the unfamiliar combination of ideas, and suggests its own definition.
Analysis of Mr. Mill's System of Logic | William StebbingHe clenches his throat in his convulsive gripe, as though he would strangle himself at once.
Tales from "Blackwood" | VariousHe is many times flat, insipid; his comic wit degenerating into clenches, his serious swelling into bombast.
This recitative leads into a furious burst when the shackled one clenches his fists and threatens all Godhead.
Franz Liszt | James HunekerShe rises, clenches her hands and then adds, "I have heard it so for five and twenty years."
Behind the Beyond | Stephen Leacock
British Dictionary definitions for clench
/ (klɛntʃ) /
to close or squeeze together (the teeth, a fist, etc) tightly
to grasp or grip firmly
a firm grasp or grip
a device that grasps or grips, such as a clamp
another word for clinch
Origin of clench
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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