clenched

clench

 (klĕnch)

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).

n.

1. A tight grip or grasp.

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

---

[Middle English clenchen, from Old English -clencan (in beclencan, to hold fast).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.