clench
/klɛnt͡ʃ/ verb, noun
Forms clenches clenching clenched
- verb To grip or hold fast. “I clenched the rope in my teeth.”
- verb To close tightly. “He clenched his fist in anger.”
- noun A tight grip.
- noun (engineering) A seal that is applied to formed thin-wall bushings.
- noun A local chapter of the Church of the SubGenius parody religion.
- noun (obsolete) A pun.
Synonyms
Antonyms
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.
Webster’s 1913
- noun See Clinch.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “clench”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details