clench
3
9.9
- noun
- /klɛntʃ/
- Specialized
:
nudo corredizo
Examples
-
From the clench of her hands, she might have been grappling with an angel.
Fiction book (1995) -
The tight, invisible collar around my neck begins its clench.
Academic text (2014) -
The widows were sitting in furious, hennaed, clench-jawed isolation, each one occupying her own separate row.
Fiction book (1998) -
And yet he held his worn stuffed bear with the unbreakable clench of a wrestler, and he had a way about him that naturally warmed others' souls.
Fiction book (2001) -
We heard the muffled bang of the blade, heard Susan Parker's sharp little gasp, and saw her other hand clench into a fist.
Fiction book (1997) -
Sailors often use a clench to secure the ropes on the ship.
-
He tied a clench to keep the fishing line from slipping.
-
The clench made it easier to handle the heavy tarpaulin in the storm.
Synonyms
1
8.7
A loop in a rope that gets tighter when pulled
1
7.1
A bent nail end or knot that holds things together
A loop in a rope that tightens when you pull it
Surface Forms
Etymology
Clench as a noun comes from the same idea of 'holding tight' and was used for a small noose or loop made by grabbing rope, like your hand clenching a loop to keep it from slipping. So, a clench is a small tight loop that holds a rope fast.