clinch /klɪnt͡ʃ/verb 9noun 8forms 3 verb9 •To bend and hammer the point of (a nail) so it cannot be removed. •To make certain; to finalize.I already planned to buy the car, but the color was what really clinched it for me. •To secure a spot (e.g., at the divisional championship) before the end of regular season play by having an insurmountable lead.It put the U.S. on the brink of clinching a spot in the quarterfinals. — 2023 •To hold a boxing opponent with one or both arms so as to avoid being hit while resting momentarily •To embrace passionately. •To clasp; to interlock.“Beloved shipmates, clinch the last verse of the first chapter of Jonah—‘And God had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.’” — 1851 •To hold firmly; to clench •To fasten securely or permanently. •To set closely together; to close tightly.[T]ry if the heads of the nails [of horseshoes] be fast, and whether they be well clinched; if not, send presently for a smith; always stand by while the smith is employed. — 1731 noun8 •Any of several fastenings. •The act or process of holding fast; that which serves to hold fast. •A hitch or bend by which a rope is made fast to the ring of an anchor, or the breeching of a ship's gun to the ringbolts. •The act of one or both fighters holding onto the other to prevent being hit or engage in standup grappling. •A passionate embrace.More likely, he was letting her know that his visit this morning was not going to end in a clinch—or something steamier. It was going to be about sitting at a table, drinking coffee and talking. — 2015 •The act of bending and hammering the point of a nail so it cannot be removed. •(no longer used) A pun. •(slang, no longer used) A prison sentence. formsclinched · clinching · clinches
