How to Use clench in a Sentence

clench

verb
Definition of clenchnext
Synonyms for clenchnext
  • He clenched his fists in anger.
  • She danced alone, with a rose clenched in her teeth.
  • His jaw clenched and unclenched as he listened to the speech.
  • He clenched his teeth and continued to look straight ahead.
  • He was clenching a cigarette in his teeth.
  • She was angry and spoke quietly through clenched teeth.
  • The rifles on the wall clenched their teeth but didn’t fire.
    — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, 2 Apr. 2018
  • The 7-foot 1 freshman tipped the ball in with two hands, turned, clenched his fists and let out a yell.
    — Doug Haller, azcentral, 9 Mar. 2018
  • Squeeze your abs, clench your glutes, and keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.
    — Jenny McCoy, SELF, 2 Mar. 2018
  • Courtois bounced to his feet, clenched his fist and roared.
    — Jonathan Wilson, SI.com, 6 July 2018
  • Don’t leave home without a rose clenched in your teeth.
    — Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 12 Feb. 2024
  • About 20-30 percent of kids grind their teeth or clench their jaws.
    — Mary Caldwell, ajc, 30 June 2018
  • Lynn pried open Andrew's hand, which was clenched into a fist, and dropped in the pills.
    — Anna Gorman, CNN, 8 May 2017
  • Did your heart clench when the choir started to sing at Pyer Moss?
    — Emilia Petrarca, The Cut, 16 Feb. 2018
  • Dols garnered about 17 percent, clenching the third seat of the school board.
    — Pioneer Press Elections Team, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2019
  • That metallic clang, the slap of him bolting from the chair, clenched my stomach, my chest.
    — Sarah Stankorb, Longreads, 9 May 2024
  • There's a reason your belly clenches at the sound of bad news.
    — Jill Provost, Woman's Day, 21 May 2012
  • After two strikes to the head, Porter clenched his fist and punched him in the face through the opening where the visor had been, the complaint said.
    — Karen Pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 25 Jan. 2018
  • Fuzzy black-and-brown striped caterpillars clench long strings and inch up race boards.
    — Washington Post, 16 July 2021
  • The winners then turn up north with New York City’s Brooklyn, clenching the fourth spot.
    — Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2024
  • The cards requested us to clench our fists slowly and then unfurl them at the same pace.
    — Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2021
  • The mouth clenched tight around my nipple, light sucking on and sucking out.
    — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, 6 Oct. 2018
  • So can grinding and clenching your teeth, Dr. Cho says.
    — Korin Miller, SELF, 18 Apr. 2018
  • The other two look as if their owners are in pain, with wrists bent back, fingers clenched.
    — Grace Cote, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Bergdahl appeared tense, grimaced and clenched his jaw.
    — idahostatesman, 3 Nov. 2017
  • The players shot their arms into the air, fists clenched in victory.
    — Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 31 May 2023
  • But Buzarnescu fought back to break Keys and then clenched her fist after holding for 5-4.
    — Houston Chronicle, 3 June 2018
  • Suitcase Deadlift How to: Hold a weight with left hand, feet shoulder-width apart and right hand clenched in fist.
    — Mallory Creveling, Women's Health, 23 Feb. 2023
  • Despite his seemingly smaller role, his high score ultimately clenched the team's bronze win.
    — Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 30 July 2024
  • When your pelvis is already clenched, these exercises can actually just trigger further tension.
    — Erica Sloan, SELF, 15 July 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clench.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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