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inch
1[ inch ]
noun
- a unit of length, 1/12 (0.0833) foot, equivalent to 2.54 centimeters. : in.
- a very small amount of anything; narrow margin:
to win by an inch;
to avert disaster by an inch.
verb (used with or without object)
- to move by inches or small degrees:
We inched our way along the road.
inch
2[ inch ]
noun
- a small island near the seacoast.
inch
1/ ɪԳʃ /
noun
- a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot or 0.0254 metre
- meteorol
- an amount of precipitation that would cover a surface with water one inch deep
five inches of rain fell in January
- a unit of pressure equal to a mercury column one inch high in a barometer
- a very small distance, degree, or amount
- every inchin every way; completely
he was every inch an aristocrat
- inch by inchgradually; little by little
- within an inch ofvery close to
verb
- to move or be moved very slowly or in very small steps
the car inched forward
- trfoll byout to defeat (someone) by a very small margin
inch
2/ ɪԳʃ /
noun
- a small island
inch
- A unit of length in the US Customary System equal to 1 12 of a foot (2.54 centimeters).
- See Table at measurement
Word History and Origins
Origin of inch1
Origin of inch2
Word History and Origins
Origin of inch1
Origin of inch2
Idioms and Phrases
- by inches,
- narrowly; by a narrow margin:
escaped by inches.
- Also inch by inch. by small degrees or stages; gradually:
The miners worked their way through the narrow shaft inch by inch.
- every inch, in every respect; completely:
That horse is every inch a thoroughbred.
- within an inch of, nearly; close to:
He came within an inch of getting killed in the crash.
More idioms and phrases containing inch
- by inches
- every inch
- give an inch
- within an ace (inch) of
Example Sentences
At about 6 feet tall and 220 pounds, he was some 9 inches taller than Sardinha and more than 100 pounds heavier.
No more cars inching forward to the parking attendant.
In June 1973, during the opening days of the Senate Watergate Hearings, John Dean revealed the list of "enemies," which had by then expanded to a file "several inches thick."
Move with purpose and speed over every inch of the court.
On average, though, the area receives 13.63 inches over the same time period, Lewis said.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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