clinching

verb

present participle of clinch
as in deciding
to make final, definite, or beyond dispute the rain clinched the matter: we would have the party indoors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clinching Polymarket handed Vance a 48% chance of clinching the GOP’s nomination and Rubio a 17% chance as of Friday. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 29 Aug. 2026 Barwiolek scores three minutes into the season opener at Waubonsie Valley and then converted a penalty kick in the second half, clinching a 2-1 nonconference victory for Geneva. — Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 In Sunday’s series-clinching victory, the 28-year-old Chisholm legged out a key bunt single during the Yankees’ decisive three-run rally in the sixth inning. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026 Hilariously, again, per Fangraphs, the Astros have a 16% chance of clinching a first-round bye with a losing record. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Democratic powerhouse Debbie Wasserman Schultz will return to Congress for her 12th term after clinching the Democratic primary for her new, blue-leaning district. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026 Goins stayed hot with Wei in Mixed-1, leaving it to Mixed-2, where Chicago nearly pushed it to a DB and made PBR save six match points before clinching. — Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Ketel Marte hit a two-run homer off Justin Wrobleski (11-4) in the first inning and Kevin Ginkel worked a perfect ninth for his first save this year, clinching Arizona's 7-6 win in the season series. — CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026 Even with Thursday’s 5-4 series-clinching victory, the Red Sox are just 21-37 when opponents score first. — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinching
  1. deciding
  2. determining
  3. settling
Verb
  • Even highly mature enterprise SOCs frequently remain dependent on humans assembling information from multiple systems, determining whether something is malicious and deciding what should happen next.
    — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Car shoppers weigh several factors before deciding on a vehicle.
    — McKynzie Steward, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of deciding
Verb
  • Additionally, potential buyers should consider the likely lifespan of the car when determining the length of their loan, Yoon said.
    — Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
  • That means determining how robots are transported, controlled, tasked, and integrated with soldiers and existing command structures.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of determining
Verb
  • Brighton could progress the ball into Chelsea’s third and then settle into possession, becoming comfortable enough to maintain it, with the Chelsea players settling into a block.
    — Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Average daily volume across US prediction markets reached nearly $2 billion in July, settling everything from Fed decisions to World Cup outcomes to Congressional votes.
    — Semafor Events, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of settling

Browse Nearby Words

clinches
clinching
cling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Clinching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinching. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All