inchnoun [ C ]
uk/ɪntʃ/us/ɪntʃ/written abbreviation in.B1 a unit used for measuring length, approximately equal to 2.54 centimetres, sometimes shown by the symbol ″:
Twelve inches are equal to one foot.
He had a cut an inch long above his left eye.
The snow was six inches deep in some places.
a piece of wood 2″ by 2″
More examples
- As you grow older, your spine shortens by about an inch.
- She is five foot three inches tall.
- It says on the packet you should plant the bulbs 4 inches deep.
- At least an inch of rain fell overnight.
- Can you remember how to convert centimetres into inches?
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Measurements of length & distance
- breadth
- cm
- footer
- ft
- head
- kilometre
- km
- meter
- metre
- micrometre
- micron
- mile
- mm
- mpg
- nanometre
- range
- scalar
- sq
- yard
- yd
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Idiom(s)
by inches
come within an inch of sth
every inch
every inch of sth/somewhere
inch by inch
not give/budge/move an inch
give someone an inch and they'll take a mile
inchverb [ I or T, + adv/prep ]
uk/ɪntʃ/us/ɪntʃ/to move very slowly or in a lot of short stages:
We are inching towards an agreement.
Share prices inched up/higher during the day.
Residents watched the flames inch closer and closer.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Slow and moving slowly
- at a snail's pace idiom
- by and by idiom
- by degrees idiom
- claw your way (somewhere) idiom
- clunky
- drift
- float
- hang around
- in ones and twos idiom
- inch by inch idiom
- infiltrate
- infiltration
- jog
- labour
- slowpoke
- sluggish
- snail
- steadily
- steady
- struggle
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