inch 1 of 2

noun

ˈinch How to pronounce inch (audio)
Definition of inchnext
1
as in step
a very small distance or degree give them an inch, and they'll take a mile

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stage
an individual part of a process, series, or ranking inch by inch, we're making progress toward our fund-raising goal

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3
as in height
inches plural the distance of something or someone from bottom to top made the most of her inches by standing on her tiptoes to reach the top shelf

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inch

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to encroach
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits every year the water inches further up the embankments, threatening to permanently engulf the island city

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2
as in to drag
to move slowly the car inched carefully across the snow-covered causeway

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inch
Noun
They are set on a slim stiletto heel, measuring around five inches. — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026 While brown anoles can get about 9 inches long at most, Cuban knights can get nearly 20 inches long. — Alex Harris august 25, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
Concord and Livermore may inch into the low 90s on Sunday, but the hotter spots in the rest of the region won’t escape the upper 80s, according to the weather service. — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026 Specialists on the phone with their clients kept their paddles in the air as the bids inched higher and higher. — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inch
  1. step
  2. stage
  3. height
  4. encroach
  5. drag
  6. neck
  7. chapter
  8. crawl
Noun
  • This week, just steps from the garden, Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech (mYSLm), a 43,000-square-foot museum designed by the architectural firm Studio KO, opens its doors to the public.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The crucial step was making the two charge sheets nearly equal.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of step
Noun
  • And some of the outlook may have less to do with the immediate issues and more about life stage.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Almost nine months later, the company's stock has hit an all-time high, its box office is breaking records and the stage is set to carry its momentum through the end of 2026.
    — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of stage
Noun
  • The zoning change would be necessary to build a development of that scale because local zoning guidelines for the downtown area cap building heights at four stories.
    — Alexandra Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Now, 15 years later, Cook has catapulted the company to stratospheric heights by forging his own path.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of height
Verb
  • During a verbal exchange with Sky guard Natasha Cloud in the third quarter, Kanter Freedom stepped over photographers to encroach on the baseline during a dead ball.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Without more straightforward approaches from vendors, such as easily comprehensible privacy policies and avoiding inappropriate ads, monitors are dangerously encroaching into smart-TV-like territory.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of encroach
Verb
  • The multiday move lower in oil prices has also dragged bond yields lower.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Huskies ultimately won both ends of a home-and-home series, but the second game dragged perilously into overtime.
    — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of drag
Noun
  • Canales told reporters postgame that Evans’ absence was related to a neck injury.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The British do retain the order of the NYRA morning line by narrowly keeping Golden Tempo at 5-2 as the top favorite, with Renegade breathing down his neck at 10-3 and at one bookmaker at 16-5.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of neck
Noun
  • Could the next chapter of Michelin be defined not by how much a meal costs, but by how creatively restaurants can give diners different ways, and different price points, to experience the world’s best restaurants?
    — Carinne Geil Botta, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • More than 6,000 chapter members have received emails with online ballots.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of chapter
Verb
  • Their only hope is for someone to crawl across the room to the spot with the most intense g-forces and turn it off.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Classicist and Roman plumbing expert Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow suggests that private toilets might have been cut off from the municipal sewers to prevent animals crawling up the pipes and into homes.
    — Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of crawl

Phrases Containing inch

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incestuous
inch
in charge
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Cite this Entry

“Inch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inch. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on inch

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about inch

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