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inch
1[ inch ]
/ ɪntʃ /
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noun
a unit of length, 1/12 (0.0833) foot, equivalent to 2.54 centimeters. Abbreviation: in.
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 about inch
Origin of inch
1First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English ynce, from Latin uncia “twelfth part, inch, ounce.” See ounce1
Words nearby inch
Other definitions for inch (2 of 2)
inch2
[ inch ]
/ ɪntʃ /
noun Scot.
a small island near the seacoast.
Origin of inch
21375–1425; 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. 2022
How to use inch in a sentence
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.
Other 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.