noun
Meaning 1
A tight grip.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
clench
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/klɛnt͡ʃ/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɛntʃ
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CMU ARPABET: K L EH1 N CH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Alternative form of clinch (“the act of bending and hammering the point of a nail so it cannot be removed”).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, alternative, ambitransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A seal that is applied to formed thin-wall bushings.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive
Topics: engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A local chapter of the Church of the SubGenius parody religion.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A pun.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: clinch
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To grip or hold fast.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive
Examples
- I clenched the rope in my teeth.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
To close tightly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive
Examples
- He clenched his fist in anger.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
Alternative form of clinch (“bend and hammer a nail”).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, alternative, ambitransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
Dated form of clinch (“make certain, finalize”).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, ambitransitive, dated
Examples
- to clench an argument
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
the act of grasping
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he released his clasp on my arm
- he has a strong grip for an old man
- she kept a firm hold on the railing
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: clasp, clutch, clutches, grasp, grip, hold
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: grasping, taking hold, seizing, prehension
Narrower terms: chokehold, choke hold, embrace, embracing, embracement, wrestling hold
noun
Meaning 11
a small slip noose made with seizing
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: clinch
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: noose, running noose, slip noose
Narrower terms: double clinch, inside clinch, outside clinch
verb
Meaning 12
squeeze together tightly
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- clench one's jaw
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: squeeze
Narrower terms: grit
verb
Meaning 13
hold in a tight grasp
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- clench a steering wheel
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: clinch
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: seize, prehend, clutch
History
Etymology
From Middle English clenchen, from Old English clenċan (“to clinch; hold fast”), a variant of Old English clenġan (“to adhere; remain”), from Proto-Germanic *klangijaną, causative of *klinganą (“to stick; adhere”). Related to cling.
Across languages
Translations
50 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: стискане (stiskane) — tight grip
- Bulgarian: свиване (svivane) — tight grip
- Esperanto: premo — tight grip
- Finnish: puristus — tight grip
- French: prise f ferme — tight grip
- French: poigne f ferme — tight grip
- Russian: сжима́ние (sžimánije) — tight grip
- Russian: сти́скивание (stískivanije) — tight grip
- Spanish: traba — tight grip
- Russian: зажи́м (zažím) — seal
- Afrikaans: klou — to squeeze
- Bulgarian: стискам (stiskam) — to squeeze
- Bulgarian: свивам (svivam) — to squeeze
- Catalan: estrènyer — to squeeze
- Catalan: serrar — to squeeze
- Chinese Mandarin: 咬緊 /咬紧 (yǎojǐn) — to squeeze
- Chinese Mandarin: 攥緊 /攥紧 (zuànjǐn) — to squeeze
- Chinese Mandarin: 握緊 /握紧 (wòjǐn) — to squeeze
- Ngazidja Comorian: ufunya — to squeeze
- Czech: sevřít — to squeeze
- Dutch: vastknijpen — to squeeze
- Dutch: ballen (vuist) — to squeeze
- Dutch: samenballen — to squeeze
- Esperanto: premi — to squeeze
- Finnish: puristaa — to squeeze
- French: serrer — to squeeze
- Friulian: strenzi — to squeeze
- Friulian: strengi — to squeeze
- German: ballen (Fäuste) — to squeeze
- German: zusammenpressen — to squeeze
- Japanese: 堅く締める (kataku shimeru) — to squeeze
- Japanese: 握り締める (nigirishimeru) — to squeeze
- Japanese: 固める (katameru) — to squeeze
- Māori: kakati — to squeeze
- Māori: kumu — to squeeze
- Māori: puku — to squeeze
- Māori: tetē — to squeeze
- Māori: nenē — to squeeze
- Māori: kuku — to squeeze
- Marathi: आवळणे (āvaḷṇe) — to squeeze
- Norwegian Bokmål: knyte — to squeeze
- Norwegian Bokmål: knytte — to squeeze
- Russian: сжима́ть (sžimátʹ) — to squeeze
- Russian: сжать (sžatʹ) — to squeeze
- Russian: сти́скивать (stískivatʹ) — to squeeze
- Russian: сти́снуть (stísnutʹ) — to squeeze
- Spanish: cerrar (el puño) — to squeeze
- Spanish: apretarse — to squeeze
- Spanish: cerrarse — to squeeze
- Swedish: knyta — to squeeze