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

It happened place by place, inch by inch, a dusty disco ball left in the rummage while a Starbucks or a boutique gym rose to serve the freshly gentrified block around it.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

But luckily, we’re not deep frying in this recipe—only an inch or so of oil is needed to turn lightly battered, julienned zucchini into crispy fries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Meanwhile, even if fully autonomous passenger flight remains elusive, many expect the technology being pioneered will inch into commercial aviation, potentially making piloted flying safer.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

Inch by inch, Clare saw his fate solidify.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

It might not sound like much, but another 6 inches of sea level rise could further bludgeon the already battered California coast, especially if combined with the effects from a storm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Some 1.25 inches of rain fell over the long weekend.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

The storm was expected to dump 6-10 inches of rain on Kauai, with 4-8 inches of rain forecast for Oahu and the Big Island.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

After the last passenger, a young boy, is almost thrown on board, it inches out to sea, but it is not leaving yet.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Even the fastest spots on K.lauea didn’t move several inches in a matter of hours.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Tesla’s stock inched slightly higher in recent action on Friday, to trade at around $365 a share.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

But median U.S. asking price inched down 0.1%, a sign that sellers may be adjusting their expectations as buyers negotiate and push back against high costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Revenue in Coty’s prestige business rose 1% to $771.8 million, but inched down 0.5% on a like-for-like basis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 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

There was a great wriggling and winking of silver; fish jumping desperately as the net inched out of the water and onto the shore.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Victory against Croatia's Hrgovic would put Itauma on the path to becoming the next big name in British heavyweight boxing, with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua inching closer to the end of their storied careers.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

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

Various reports say about one-third of American men are fully bearded, with the numbers inching toward half if you count goatees and heavy stubble.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 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

Inside, however, I felt a thrumming nervousness, that sense of inching perpetually farther out on a limb.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama