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inch

1
[ inch ]
/ ɪntʃ /
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See synonyms for: inch / inched / inching on Thesaurus.com

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

1
First 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

2
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
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.
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