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clench

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To grip or hold fast.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

klehnch
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈklɛntʃ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. To grip or hold fast.

  2. Squeeze together tightly

  3. To close tightly.

  4. To bend and hammer the point of (a nail) so it cannot be removed.

  5. Dated form of clinch ("make certain, finalize").

noun

  1. A tight grip.

  2. Any of several fastenings.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To grip or hold fast.

Used this way, clench is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use clench

  • “Clench a steering wheel.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

stomach clenchjaw clenchfists clenchteeth clenchheart clenchhand clenchgut clench

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • grip

    Hold fast or firmly.

  • hold

    To grasp or grip.

  • grasp

    To grip; to take hold, particularly with the hand.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • clenched fistnounCompound term

    A hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting).

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to grip or hold fast

grasp

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.