Meaning

To grip or hold fast..

Definitions by Sense

1. To grip or hold fast.
2. To close tightly.
3. Alternative form of clinch (“bend and hammer a nail”).
4. Dated form of clinch (“make certain, finalize”).
5. A tight grip.
6. Alternative form of clinch (“the act of bending and hammering the point of a nail so it cannot be removed”).
7. (engineering) A seal that is applied to formed thin-wall bushings.
8. A local chapter of the Church of the SubGenius parody religion.

Example Sentences

I clenched the rope in my teeth.

Clinch the pointed spear.

He clenched his fist in anger.

[She] flung herself / Down on the great King's couch, and writhed upon it, / And clench'd her fingers till they bit the palm, / And shriek'd out 'traitor' to the unhearing wall, […]

to clench an argument

And perhaps most innovative of all, Drummond and Stang pushed for a policy of clench autonomy […]

Every SubGenius clench is required to have a member who does not believe […]

Originality is encouraged, and some clenches have devised their own distinctive organizational names […]

Word Forms

• clenches
• clenching
• clenched

Synonyms for clench

Antonyms for clench

Related Words

When Should You Use Clench?

Use clench when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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