To bend and hammer the point of (a nail) so it cannot be removed.
2
To clasp; to interlock.
“Beloved shipmates, clinch the last verse of the first chapter of Jonah—‘And God had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.’”1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 9, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
3
To fasten securely or permanently.
4
To make certain; to finalize.
I already planned to buy the car, but the color was what really clinched it for me.
Vincent Kompany was sent off after conceding a penalty that was converted by Stephen Hunt to give Wolves hope. But Adam Johnson's curling shot in stoppage time clinched the points.2011 October 29, Neil Johnston, “Norwich 3 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport:
5
To hold firmly; to clench
6
To set closely together; to close tightly.
to clinch the teeth or the fist
[T]ry if the heads of the nails [of horseshoes] be fast, and whether they be well clinched; if not, send presently for a smith; always stand by while the smith is employed.1731 (date written, published 1745), Jonathan Swift, “[Directions to Servants.] The Duty of Servants at Inns.”, in Thomas Sheridan, John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, […], new edition, volume XVI, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1801, →OCLC, page 175:
7
To hold a boxing opponent with one or both arms so as to avoid being hit while resting momentarily
8
To secure a spot (e.g., at the divisional championship) before the end of regular season play by having an insurmountable lead.
It put the U.S. on the brink of clinching a spot in the quarterfinals.2023 August 31, Seattle Times:
Nautical, Transport A hitch or bend by which a rope is made fast to the ring of an anchor, or the breeching of a ship's gun to the ringbolts.
6
A passionate embrace.
More likely, he was letting her know that his visit this morning was not going to end in a clinch—or something steamier. It was going to be about sitting at a table, drinking coffee and talking.2015, Judith Arnold, Moondance:
So, then, to the health secretary’s “steamy clinch” with Gina Coladangelo, the lobbyist and long-term friend he took on as an aide last year […]2021 June 25, Marina Hyde, “Matt Hancock, the one-time sex cop now busted for a dodgy clinch”, in The Guardian:
COOMBE: He got the clinch only last week — eighteen months. You see it's no good having anybody here as ain't got a^([sic]) unblemished character. We don't want to have the bluebottles come sniffing round here, do we?1882, Henry Herman, Henry Arthur Jones, The Silver King: