inch

[ inch ]

/ ɪntʃ /

SEE MORE 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.

RELATED WORDS

square, fingerbreadth

Nearby words

Idioms

by inches,

narrowly; by a narrow margin: escaped by inches.
Also inch by inch. by small degrees or stages; gradually: The miners worked their way through the narrow shaft inch by inch.

every inch, in every respect; completely: That horse is every inch a thoroughbred.

within an inch of, nearly; close to: He came within an inch of getting killed in the crash.

Origin of inch

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

Definition for inch (2 of 2)

inch

[ inch ]

/ ɪntʃ /

noun Scot.

a small island near the seacoast.

Origin of inch

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for inch

With a 1¾-inch ice cream scoop (or two spoons), scoop round balls of dough onto the prepared sheet pans.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies|Ina Garten|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cut the phyllo in half crosswise to make two (7 × 8½-inch) rectangles.
The Barefoot Contessa’s Tasty Trip to Paris|Ina Garten|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anna Whiston-Donaldson is a popular blogger at An Inch of Gray.
Book Bag: Reading Your Way Out Of Grief|Anna Whiston-Donaldson|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the coming month, Maynard may play a crucial role in helping the GOP inch forward on this controversial issue.
The Beautiful Newlywed Who Made the Right Change Its Mind on Physician-Assisted Death|Samantha Allen|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I moved my head one inch off the pillow to find out which it was, and something growled.
The Stacks: Pete Dexter on What It’s Like to Lose the Knack of Having Fun|Pete Dexter|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was a perfect mountain of a fellow, six and a half feet if he was an inch, with shoulders on him like a shorthorn bull.
Greenmantle|John Buchan
It fought every inch of the way, wearing down pony and rider until they were almost exhausted.
The Pony Rider Boys in Texas|Frank Gee Patchin
Then the roof of the ward lifted about an inch, and more wind beat down, and as it beat down, so the roof lifted.
The Backwash of War|Ellen N. La Motte
When about cool cut with scissors into lengths of an inch or less.
Candy-Making at Home|Mary M. Wright
It is pear-shaped, about five-eighths of an inch long, and mounted with a gold top, and a hook to pass through the ear.
Jewellery|H. Clifford Smith,

British Dictionary definitions for inch (1 of 2)

inch

/ (ɪntʃ) /

noun

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

meteorol

an amount of precipitation that would cover a surface with water one inch deepfive inches of rain fell in January
a unit of pressure equal to a mercury column one inch high in a barometer

a very small distance, degree, or amount

every inch in every way; completelyhe was every inch an aristocrat

inch by inch gradually; little by little

within an inch of very close to

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)

inch

/ (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

Word Origin and History for inch (1 of 3)

inch

n.1

"linear measure, one-twelfth of a foot," late Old English ynce, Middle English unche (current spelling c.1300), from Latin uncia "a twelfth part," from root of unus "one" (see one). An early borrowing from Latin, not found in any other Germanic language. Transferred and figurative sense of "a very small amount" is attested from mid-14c. For phrase give him an inch ... see ell.

Word Origin and History for inch (1 of 3)

inch

n.2

"small Scottish island," early 15c., from Gaelic innis (genitive innse) "island, land by a river," from Celtic *inissi (cf. Old Irish inis, Welsh ynys, Breton enez).

Word Origin and History for inch (2 of 3)

inch

"move little by little," 1590s, from inch (n.1). Related: Inched; inching.

Science 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.

Idioms and Phrases with inch

inch

In addition to the idioms beginning with inch

inch along
inch by inch

also see:

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

inch

noun

verb (used with or without object)

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of inch

Definition for inch (2 of 2)

inch

noun Scot.

Origin of inch

Examples from the Web for inch

British Dictionary definitions for inch (1 of 2)

inch

noun

verb

Word Origin for inch

British Dictionary definitions for inch (2 of 2)

inch

noun

Word Origin for inch

Word Origin and History for inch (1 of 3)

inch

Word Origin and History for inch (1 of 3)

inch

Word Origin and History for inch (2 of 3)

inch

Science definitions for inch

inch

Idioms and Phrases with inch

inch