clinch

1 (boxing) the act of one boxer holding onto the other to avoid being hit and to rest momentarily

2 a small slip noose made with seizing [syn: clench]

3 the flattened part of a nail or bolt or rivet

4 a tight or amorous embrace; "come here and give me a big hug" [syn: hug, squeeze]

1 secure or fasten by flattening the ends of nails or bolts; "The girder was clinched into the wall"

2 hold a boxing opponent with one or both arms so as to prevent punches

3 hold in a tight grasp; "clench a steering wheel" [syn: clench]

4 embrace amorously

5 flatten the ends (of nails and rivets); "the nails were clinched"

6 settle conclusively; "clinch a deal"

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪntʃ

Verb

1. To make certain; to finalize.

   I already planned to buy the car, but the color was what really clinched it for me.

2. To fasten securely or permanently.
3. To bend and hammer the point of a nail so it cannot be removed.

See also

• clincher
• clinch nut

To clinch is to hold tightly. Clinch may also refer to:

• Clinch is a general term for a stand-up grappling position.
• Clinch County, Georgia
• Clinch River

In sports, a team is said to clinch a title when no other team is able to deprive them of that title. The term is used when there are still other games to be played that would normally contribute to determining the winner of the title, but no longer do because of the outcome of prior games. (For instance, if Team A has three more wins than Team B with one game to play, Team A has clinched.)

The word should not be used in regards to individual playoff series in sports; a team does not "clinch" the championship if they win a best-of-seven series. Clinch, as detailed above, is mathematically based and implies there are "dead" games that must be played.

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