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
The Wamps, who went 2-18-1 last season, clinched a state tournament berth Saturday with a 4-0 Bay State Conference win over Needham.
—
Brian Roach, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
The Dow clinched 40,000 points in May 2024 before hitting 45,000 on December 4 of that year.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Crespi finished the season 19-11 overall and earned its way into the Mission League tournament semifinal, which clinched the Celts an automatic playoff berth.
—Tarek Fattal, Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
His only start was a regular-season finale with regulars resting and the 49ers having clinched the top seed en route to a 25-22 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Most schools have four or less games left in district play, and a few teams have already clinched spots in the postseason, which for both UIL and TAPPS, starts later this month and goes through early March.
—Colby Gordon, Austin American Statesman, 5 Feb. 2026
Inside the Lumen Field locker room after the Seattle Seahawks clinched a trip to Super Bowl 60 with a 31-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC title game, the defense attempted to huddle up for a group photo.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The Lamar High School graduate made arguably the biggest play of the game, helping slow down LenDale White for a stop on fourth-and-2 late in the fourth quarter — with Bush curiously not on the field — when a first down would’ve iced the game for USC and clinched its third straight national title.
—Greg Rajan, Houston Chronicle, 4 Feb. 2026
Maria Sødahl’s The Last Resort has clinched the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at the 2026 Göteborg Film Festival, which encompasses a prize sum of SEK 400,000, or over $40,000.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2026
Brian Roach, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
The Dow clinched 40,000 points in May 2024 before hitting 45,000 on December 4 of that year.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Crespi finished the season 19-11 overall and earned its way into the Mission League tournament semifinal, which clinched the Celts an automatic playoff berth.
—Tarek Fattal, Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
His only start was a regular-season finale with regulars resting and the 49ers having clinched the top seed en route to a 25-22 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Most schools have four or less games left in district play, and a few teams have already clinched spots in the postseason, which for both UIL and TAPPS, starts later this month and goes through early March.
—Colby Gordon, Austin American Statesman, 5 Feb. 2026
Inside the Lumen Field locker room after the Seattle Seahawks clinched a trip to Super Bowl 60 with a 31-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC title game, the defense attempted to huddle up for a group photo.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The Lamar High School graduate made arguably the biggest play of the game, helping slow down LenDale White for a stop on fourth-and-2 late in the fourth quarter — with Bush curiously not on the field — when a first down would’ve iced the game for USC and clinched its third straight national title.
—Greg Rajan, Houston Chronicle, 4 Feb. 2026
Maria Sødahl’s The Last Resort has clinched the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film at the 2026 Göteborg Film Festival, which encompasses a prize sum of SEK 400,000, or over $40,000.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinched
Verb
-
The Seahawks and Rams met in the NFC Championship Game, which was only decided by four points.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Tennessee has struggled, like most other SEC teams, against South Carolina the past few years, although the Lady Vols' previous three games -- all Gamecock wins -- were decided by single digits.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Savannah Guthrie grew up in Tucson, graduated from the University of Arizona and once worked at a television station in the city, where her parents settled in the 1970s.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Miami responded by giving its starter run support, and Ciscar settled back in for the rest of his outing.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
During a subsequent conversation with Humpal and an onsite investigation, DNR staff determined the spill was coming from the west side of the operation where snow melt and a broken waterline caused more water to accumulate.—
Cami Koons,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The coroner’s office has not yet determined Escamilla’s cause of death or his hometown, though his family has been contacted in Florida.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clinched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinched. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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