clenched

clench  (klnch)

tr.v. clenched, clench·ing, clench·es

1. To close tightly: clench one's teeth; clenched my fists in anger.

2. To grasp or grip tightly: clenched the steering wheel.

3. To clinch (a bolt, for example).

4. Nautical To fasten with a clinch.

n.

1. A tight grip or grasp.

2. Something, such as a mechanical device, that clenches or holds fast.

3. Nautical See clinch.

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[Middle English clenchen, from Old English beclencan.]

Thesaurus

Adj.

1.

clenched - closed or squeezed together tightly; "a clenched fist"; "his clenched (or clinched) teeth" clinched tight - closely constrained or constricted or constricting; "tight skirts"; "he hated tight starched collars"; "fingers closed in a tight fist"; "a tight feeling in his chest"