inch

1
[ inch ]
/ ɪntʃ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR inch ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a unit of length, 1/12 (0.0833) foot, equivalent to 2.54 centimeters.
a very small amount of anything; narrow margin: to win by an inch; to avert disaster by an inch.

verb (used with or without object)

to move by inches or small degrees: We inched our way along the road.

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Idioms for inch

Origin of inch

1
before 1000; Middle English; Old English ynce < Latin uncia twelfth part, inch, ounce. See ounce1

Words nearby inch

inceptive, incertitude, incessant, incest, incestuous, inch, inch along, inch by inch, inch of mercury, inch plant, inch-pound

Definition for inch (2 of 2)

inch2
[ inch ]
/ ɪntʃ /

noun Scot.

a small island near the seacoast.

Origin of inch

2
1375–1425; late Middle English < Scots Gaelic innse, genitive of innis island, Old Irish inis, cognate with Welsh ynys
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to inch

square, fingerbreadth

Example sentences from the Web for inch

British Dictionary definitions for inch (1 of 2)

inch1
/ (ɪntʃ) /

noun

verb

to move or be moved very slowly or in very small stepsthe car inched forward
(tr foll by out) to defeat (someone) by a very small margin

Word Origin for inch

Old English ynce, from Latin uncia twelfth part; see ounce 1

British Dictionary definitions for inch (2 of 2)

inch2
/ (ɪntʃ) /

noun

Scot and Irish a small island

Word Origin for inch

C15: from Gaelic innis island; compare Welsh ynys
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

Scientific definitions for inch

inch
[ ĭnch ]

A unit of length in the US Customary System equal to 112 of a foot (2.54 centimeters). See Table at measurement.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with inch

inch
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.