clinch
Americanverb (used with object)
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to settle (a matter) decisively.
After they clinched the deal they went out to celebrate.
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to secure (a nail, screw, etc.) in position by beating down the protruding point.
He drove the nails through the board and clinched the points flat with a hammer.
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to fasten (objects) together by nails, screws, etc., secured in this manner.
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Nautical. to fasten by a clinch.
verb (used without object)
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Boxing. to engage in a clinch.
The boxers clinched and were separated by the referee.
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Slang. to embrace, especially passionately.
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(of a clinched nail, screw, etc.) to hold fast; be secure.
noun
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the act of clinching.
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Boxing. an act or instance of one or both boxers holding the other about the arms or body in order to prevent or hinder the opponent's punches.
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Slang. a passionate embrace.
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a clinched nail or fastening.
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the bent part of a clinched nail, screw, etc.
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a knot or bend in which a bight or eye is made by making a loop or turn in the rope and seizing the end to the standing part.
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Archaic. a pun.
verb
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(tr) to secure (a driven nail) by bending the protruding point over
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(tr) to hold together in such a manner
to clinch the corners of the frame
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(tr) to settle (something, such as an argument, bargain, etc) in a definite way
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(tr) nautical to fasten by means of a clinch
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(intr) to engage in a clinch, as in boxing or wrestling
noun
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the act of clinching
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a nail with its point bent over
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the part of such a nail, etc, that has been bent over
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boxing wrestling an act or an instance in which one or both competitors hold on to the other to avoid punches, regain wind, etc
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slang a lovers' embrace
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nautical a loop or eye formed in a line by seizing the end to the standing part.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has clinchedperfect 3rd person singular
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have clinchedperfect
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are clinchingprogressive
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am clinchingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been clinchingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been clinchingperfect progressive
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clinchessingular 3rd person
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clinchingparticiple
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is clinchingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had clinchedperfect
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was clinchingprogressive singular
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were clinchingprogressive plural
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had been clinchingperfect progressive
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clinchedsimple
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clinchedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of clinch
First recorded in 1560–70; later variant of Middle English clench
Explanation
When you clinch something, you confirm it, the way you clinch a deal with your brother to trade chores next week by shaking hands on it. The verb clinch arose as a variation of clench, and its original meaning was "fix securely (a driven nail) by bending and beating it back." Out of this sense of securing something physically came the figurative meaning of settling or securing an argument, deal, or bargain. You can also use it as a noun to mean "an embrace or close scuffle," like when a boxing referee pulls fighters out of a clinch.
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.
