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inch1

Syllabification: (inch)
Pronunciation: /inCH/

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Definition of inch

noun

  • 1a unit of linear measure equal to one twelfth of a foot (2.54 cm):the toy train is four inches long eighteen inches of thread (Symbol: ʺ)
  • [often with negative] a very small amount or distance:I had no intention of budging an inch
  • 2a unit used to express other quantities, in particular.
  • (as a unit of rainfall) a quantity that would cover a horizontal surface to a depth of one inch.
  • (also inch of mercury) (as a unit of atmospheric pressure) an amount that would support a column of mercury one-inch high in a barometer (equal to 33.86 millibars, 29.5 inches being equal to one bar).

verb

[no object]
  • move slowly and carefully in a specified direction:the 2,000 mourners inched along narrow country lanes figurativethe stock market inched ahead today
  • [with object] cause (something) to move slowly and carefully:he inched the car forward

Phrases

by inches

  • 1only just:the shot missed her by inches
  • 2very slowly and gradually; bit by bit:you can’t let him die by inches like this

every inch

  • 1the whole surface, distance, or area:between them they know every inch of the country
  • 2entirely; very much so:he’s every inch the gentleman

give someone an inch and he (or she) will take a mile

proverb once concessions have been made to someone they will demand a great deal.

inch by inch

gradually; bit by bit:inch by inch he crept along the wall

within an inch of

very close to:her mouth was within an inch of his chin

(to) within an inch of one's life

almost to the point of death:he was beaten within an inch of his life

Origin:

late Old English ynce, from Latin uncia 'twelfth part', from unus 'one' (probably denoting a unit). Compare with ounce1

inch in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of inch in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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