as in clenching
to close or secure (something, such as a door) with a latch
latch the gate
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Recent Examples of latching
Here against Casa Pia, for example, Suarez sets off at speed as soon as the ball breaks loose, latching onto an outside-of-the-boot pass with a run into the channels that is reminiscent of Gyokeres at Sporting last season.
—
Thom Harris, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Leslie Mann delivers a heartwarming performance as a woman drifting through a midlife reset, latching onto two college students locked in a subtle competition for her attention.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
The strategy is paying off, with an increasing number of listeners latching onto Toledo’s great versions of these soul/pop/R&B classics.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
Fifth-place Monaco grabbed a second goal 10 minutes into the second half when midfielder Aleksandr Golovin, who had just come on, slid the ball into the bottom corner after latching onto a cross from the right.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Now, some are latching onto the wave of anti-OpenAI sentiment to voice broader critiques of the company.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Mar. 2026
One very funny snippet has Elvis giving a sweet peck on the cheek to a little girl at the lip of the stage followed by what appears to be her big sister latching her lips onto him like a mollusk before being peeled off by her mother.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
Naval warfare goes a bit clingy as Lockheed Martin unveils its robotic Lamprey Multi-Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (MMAUV), which can hitch a ride on friendly ships or submarines by latching onto their hulls to conserve power.
—David Szondy
february 09, New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026
Some bright minds are already latching onto this idea.
—Anthony Digiorgio, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Thom Harris, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Leslie Mann delivers a heartwarming performance as a woman drifting through a midlife reset, latching onto two college students locked in a subtle competition for her attention.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
The strategy is paying off, with an increasing number of listeners latching onto Toledo’s great versions of these soul/pop/R&B classics.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
Fifth-place Monaco grabbed a second goal 10 minutes into the second half when midfielder Aleksandr Golovin, who had just come on, slid the ball into the bottom corner after latching onto a cross from the right.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Now, some are latching onto the wave of anti-OpenAI sentiment to voice broader critiques of the company.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Mar. 2026
One very funny snippet has Elvis giving a sweet peck on the cheek to a little girl at the lip of the stage followed by what appears to be her big sister latching her lips onto him like a mollusk before being peeled off by her mother.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
Naval warfare goes a bit clingy as Lockheed Martin unveils its robotic Lamprey Multi-Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (MMAUV), which can hitch a ride on friendly ships or submarines by latching onto their hulls to conserve power.
—David Szondy
february 09, New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026
Some bright minds are already latching onto this idea.
—Anthony Digiorgio, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for latching
Verb
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In the premiere, Rue and Faye run drugs across the border, clenching their butts to hold bags of fentanyl in their digestive tract for as long as possible.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Protect against teeth grinding, clenching and enamel damage with custom dental solutions from ClearClub.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Purchasing a new hanging plant shelf is a great way to combat this.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
25 Apr. 2026
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The Iran war has left uncertainty hanging over global markets for the past two months, but many market participants remain optimistic about where equities are headed, even in spite of record valuations.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The notion of a mother tongue assumes that language functions as a common thread in families, tying parent to child.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Judge hit a solo home run in the ninth inning, tying Chicago White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami with his MLB-leading 12th of the season, to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead in the ninth inning.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The june bug falls to the bottom of the bag but manages to recover from a new round of kicking by clasping to a leaf.—
María Ospina,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
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Others showed baby Spero clasping his tiny hand around Graham's finger and slumbering with a smile on his face.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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City will have one eye on clinching the FA Cup trophy for the third time in eight years, while Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final clashes with Atletico Madrid will take plenty out of them physically and mentally.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Leading the Padres 8-5 entering the ninth at Coors Field on Thursday afternoon, the Rockies were on the cusp of clinching the three-game series.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For many adults, the beauty book triggered memories of a pre-social-media childhood spent cutting pictures out of magazines and pasting them into notebooks.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
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All medical specialties have rules for filling out their notes, and ABA providers shouldn’t need the state to tell them that copying and pasting the same summary for each session, as the inspectors found in some cases, wasn’t good enough, Bimestefer said.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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By clamping the bag shut, the clips help keep air and moisture out, which slows staleness and helps food stay fresh longer.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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Using long tongs, carefully add each tortilla to the oil, gently clamping closed for a moment to help the shell set.—
Carole Kotkin,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Other footage from outside the restaurant shows the man bending the standup heaters and throwing more chairs.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The royal made a beeline to the young boys, immediately bending down to their eye level and shaking their hands.—
Helen Murphy,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Latching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/latching. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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