inch
1[ inch ]
/ ɪntʃ /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.
Idioms about inch
Origin of inch
1First recorded before 1000; Middle English inch(e), unch(e), enche, Old English ynce, from Latin uncia “twelfth part, inch, ounce”; see origin at ounce1
Other definitions for inch (2 of 2)
inch2
[ inch ]
/ ɪntʃ /
noun Scot.
a small island near the seacoast.
Origin of inch
2First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Scots Gaelic innse, genitive of innis “island,” Old Irish inis, cognate with Welsh ynys, Breton enez
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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.