as in decided
to make final, definite, or beyond dispute
the rain clinched the matter: we would have the party indoors
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Recent Examples of clinched
Sunday’s Game 1 loss clinched a series defeat against the cellar-dwelling Rockies (12-16), who won Friday night’s series opener, 4-3, before Saturday’s game was rained out.
—
Peter Sblendorio, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026
Boston, Montreal and the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost have clinched postseason spots.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
This year, Sip & Guzzle in New York City clinched the coveted title of North America’s Best Bar.
—Megan Murphy, Travel + Leisure, 23 Apr. 2026
Keller stands tall in District 4-6A Keller (28-2-2, 14-1 District 4-6A) has clinched the district title in a competitive group.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2026
Having already clinched the District 28-5A title, Southwest isn’t resting on its laurels.
—David Dekunder, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Apr. 2026
Young has continued to antagonize New York fans, including pretending to roll dice on the Knicks logo after a 2024 victory clinched a trip to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
Getting home ice for the first round was important to the team, which clinched the advantage in the second-to-last game of the regular season.
—Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2026
The Rockets won nine of their last 10 games heading into the series, while the Lakers clinched home-court advantage with three straight wins to close the regular season.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2026
Peter Sblendorio, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026
Boston, Montreal and the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost have clinched postseason spots.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
This year, Sip & Guzzle in New York City clinched the coveted title of North America’s Best Bar.
—Megan Murphy, Travel + Leisure, 23 Apr. 2026
Keller stands tall in District 4-6A Keller (28-2-2, 14-1 District 4-6A) has clinched the district title in a competitive group.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2026
Having already clinched the District 28-5A title, Southwest isn’t resting on its laurels.
—David Dekunder, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Apr. 2026
Young has continued to antagonize New York fans, including pretending to roll dice on the Knicks logo after a 2024 victory clinched a trip to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
Getting home ice for the first round was important to the team, which clinched the advantage in the second-to-last game of the regular season.
—Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2026
The Rockets won nine of their last 10 games heading into the series, while the Lakers clinched home-court advantage with three straight wins to close the regular season.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinched
Verb
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But everything has been put on hold until the league is decided.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Chudzinski played basketball up until high school and was on the golf team his first two years at Lincoln-Way West but has decided to zone in on baseball.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The job of a leader — whether a mayor, CEO, coach, or school administrator — is not to make people feel emotionally settled before every difficult decision.—
Jonathan Alpert OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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In their search for a primary challenger to Massie, the president’s allies eventually settled on Gallrein, who had not previously run for political office.—
Russell Berman,
The Atlantic,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There was diligence paid to scouting Bernard, and the Eagles were determined to land him.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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It was determined Megan had suffered from extreme exhaustion, dehydration, vasoconstriction, and low metabolic levels.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clinched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinched. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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