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 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 ² British  

/ ɪntʃ /

noun

1. a small island

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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 unemployment rate could also inch up to 4.4% from the current 4.1%, it said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

The weather service is forecasting “minimal measurable” rain, or less than a tenth of an inch, she said, meaning there is chance of dry lightning strikes, which could ignite a fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

The hand-spun yarn dyed in natural colours is woven on handlooms, packing in between 300 and several thousand knots per square inch, depending on the intricacy of the design.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Digital disaffection has bled into our lives like dye onto white linen, creeping through every inch of the fabric until it’s covered in amorphous patterns of color; some beautiful, some painfully ugly.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

I’d hardly moved an inch since Daddy had slammed down his fork.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

Writing on Instagram, she assured fans the injury wasn't serious, insisting she was "on the mend" and would complete her final shows "even if I am a few inches shorter than usual".

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

He said that “if you had a stack of thousand-dollar bills in your hand only 4 inches high, you’d be a millionaire. A trillion dollars would be a stack of thousand-dollar bills 67 miles high.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

July’s 6.5 millimeters of rain in England, about 0.25 inches, was the lowest since records began in 1836 and less than half the next driest July—in 1911.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

If Bailey, at 6 feet 5 inches and 265 pounds, shines against the Chargers and does not make the roster, he seems like a longshot to clear waivers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

“Can’t talk, Anthony!” he said, glancing back just long enough to see Anthony flicker in and out of view, less than six inches from his face.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index inched up to 35 in August from 34 in July as concerns about high mortgage rates, rising construction costs and the economy persisted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Revenue inched up 1% to $6.91 billion compared to the year-ago period, when Paramount was controlled by media heiress Shari Redstone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Segro shares inched up while Prologis stock was little changed premarket.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Deaths were more than double that at 1.6 million, while the fertility rate edged down 0.01 percentage points to 1.14 although marriages inched higher, the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry numbers showed.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

The wolves, still on the ground, let out low growls and inched forward on their bellies.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

With them inching closer to the city, Dezhyna and her parents are again thinking about whether they should flee to refuge, far from her beloved Izyum.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

And for maybe the first time in weeks, the Dodgers appear to be inching back to their champion ways.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

The latest flare-ups in hostilities are boosting crude futures prices, which were inching toward $80 a barrel Tuesday.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Rescue teams from seven countries are inching towards a man who survived the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela eight days ago.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

He’s inching his electronic tweezers near the clown’s leg on the game board.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina