inch

¹ American  

[inch] / ɪntʃ /

noun

1. a unit of length, 1/12 (0.0833) foot, equivalent to 2.54 centimeters. in.

2. a very small amount of anything; narrow margin.

   to win by an inch;

   to avert disaster by an inch.

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verb (used with or without object)

inches, present (3rd person singular) inched, past participle, past inching present participle

1. to move by inches or small degrees.

   We inched our way along the road.

idioms

1. every inch, in every respect; completely.

   That horse is every inch a thoroughbred.

2. within an inch of, nearly; close to.

   He came within an inch of getting killed in the crash.

3. by inches,

   1. narrowly; by a narrow margin.

      escaped by inches.

   2. Also inch by inch. by small degrees or stages; gradually.

      The miners worked their way through the narrow shaft inch by inch.

inch ² American  

[inch] / ɪntʃ /

noun

Scot.

1. a small island near the seacoast.

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inch ¹ British  

/ ɪntʃ /

noun

1. a small island

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inch ² British  

/ ɪntʃ /

noun

1. a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot or 0.0254 metre

2. meteorol

   1. an amount of precipitation that would cover a surface with water one inch deep

      five inches of rain fell in January

   2. a unit of pressure equal to a mercury column one inch high in a barometer

3. a very small distance, degree, or amount

4. in every way; completely

   he was every inch an aristocrat

5. gradually; little by little

6. very close to

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verb

1. to move or be moved very slowly or in very small steps

   the car inched forward

2. to defeat (someone) by a very small margin

inch Scientific  

/ ĭnch /

1. A unit of length in the US Customary System equal to 1/12 of a foot (2.54 centimeters).

2. See Table at measurement

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inch More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing inch

• by inches
• every inch
• give an inch
• within an ace (inch) of

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• inching
  present
• inched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• inch
  simple
• inches
  simple
• have inched
  perfect
• has inched
  perfect
• am inching
  progressive
• are inching
  progressive
• is inching
  progressive
• have been inching
  perfect progressive
• has been inching
  perfect progressive

Past

• inched
  simple
• had inched
  perfect
• was inching
  progressive
• were inching
  progressive
• had been inching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will inch
  simple
• will have inched
  perfect
• will be inching
  progressive
• will have been inching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of inch¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English inch(e), unch(e), enche, Old English ynce, from Latin uncia “twelfth part, inch, ounce”; see origin at ounce ¹

Origin of inch²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Scots Gaelic innse, genitive of innis “island,” Old Irish inis, cognate with Welsh ynys, Breton enez

Explanation

An inch is a small unit of measurement. Twelve inches makes one foot. You might get an inch of your hair cut off, or hem your jeans so they're an inch shorter. Some countries use centimeters and meters as units of measurement, but if you measure in inches, you can order a twelve inch pizza or print out three by five inch photos. When inch is used as a verb, it means "to creep slowly forward." The Old English version was ynce, from the Latin uncia, "a twelfth part."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inch inches inched inching

The prices of semiconductors and electrical gear, which usually inch along, look like “hockey sticks” on a chart, New York Fed President John Williams said last week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The mountain thunderstorms are expected to continue Monday and Tuesday but should be accompanied by wetting rains that dampen fire risk, with about a tenth of an inch of precipitation, Molina said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

We usually talk about all of these numbers in today’s terms, but costs inch up constantly.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

But, there is a catch: this AI company is gathering data to train the next generation of cooking and cleaning robots, and every inch of your apartment is now being recorded.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

"The crack is an inch long," he said.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

The plans for that building called for exterior walls above a certain height to be 8 inches thick, but Domani approved walls that were 6 inches thick, according to a violation notice from the city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Adams said replacing the top two inches of soil with store-bought mulch or straw will help to contain any remaining ash and prevent it from spreading any further.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

The soil below two inches should be unharmed, Adams said, so long as new compost is set and plants are watered plentifully, which will promote natural biological cycles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

“Operating close to toxic chemicals, operating inches away from heavy machinery, is very dangerous for people,” said co-founder and chief executive Wei Ding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

But ten or twelve inches of this one hung down the side of the henhouse with his mean-looking head in the dust.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate loan inched up this week to 6.49%, adding to the affordability crunch many prospective home buyers are feeling.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

The 30-year mortgage rate inched up by 6 basis points on Thursday, to 6.49%, on the back of renewed tensions with Iran.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Thursday’s data showed underemployment inched higher to 5.9% in May from 5.8% in April, but remains some way below the 8.3% seen in late 2019 prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Average return on Japanese household financial assets has inched up from 1% to 1.7%, he says.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

He inched forward: and immediately the air above him was thick and shrill as a storm of arrows flew in both directions over their heads.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

The big change this year is that, previously, Russia was inching forward along almost the entire more than 700-mile front line, or at least in several sectors at once.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

That number is now inching closer to the billion mark with Jio alone amassing 525 million of those subscribers.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

“I like that we’re inching it forward just a little bit. ‘Game of Thrones’ in 2026,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

His 18 colleagues in the leadership of the Fed and the 11 other voting members of the rate-setting committee appear to be inching close to rate hikes, to battle persistent inflation.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 14, 2026

It’s not their bodies inching closer that make me nervous, it’s their words that sound just like the heavy bass music—hard and fast like too-loud conga drums.

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi