To clinch something means to settle it decisively or secure it completely. When a basketball team clinches the championship, they've won enough games that no other team can catch them. When you clinch a deal, you've finished the negotiations and gotten agreement. A lawyer might clinch her argument with one final piece of evidence that settles the case.

The word suggests that moment when something uncertain becomes certain, when victory or agreement moves from possible to guaranteed. A student might clinch first place in the spelling bee by getting the final word right. A soccer team clinches a playoff spot when their record guarantees they'll advance.

In boxing and wrestling, to clinch means something different: to grab hold of your opponent in close contact, usually to rest or prevent them from punching freely. Boxers clinch by wrapping their arms around each other. Referees often separate fighters when they clinch for too long.

As a noun, a clinch can mean that decisive moment itself (the game came down to the clinch), or it can refer to that close hold in combat sports.