clench
verb /klentʃ/
/klentʃ/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they clench | /klentʃ/ /klentʃ/ |
| he / she / it clenches | /ˈklentʃɪz/ /ˈklentʃɪz/ |
| past simple clenched | /klentʃt/ /klentʃt/ |
| past participle clenched | /klentʃt/ /klentʃt/ |
| -ing form clenching | /ˈklentʃɪŋ/ /ˈklentʃɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] when you clench your hands, teeth, etc., or when they clench, you press them together tightly, usually showing that you are angry, determined or upset
- clench (something) He clenched his fists in anger.
- Through clenched teeth she told him to leave.
- His fists clenched slowly until his knuckles were white.
- Her hands clenched involuntarily.
- clench (something) + adv./prep. She sat with hands clenched together in her lap.
- His jaw was clenched tight.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- firmly
- tight
- tightly
- …
- clenched between somebody’s teeth
- [transitive, often passive] to hold something tightly
- be clenched between/in something Her pen was clenched between her teeth.
- She had a gun clenched tightly in her hand.
- clench something He clenched the steering wheel tightly.
Extra Examples- She sat at her desk, her pen clenched between her teeth.
- He had a wine glass clenched firmly in his hand.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- firmly
- tight
- tightly
- …
- clenched between somebody’s teeth
Word OriginOld English (in the sense of clinch ‘fix securely’): of Germanic origin; related to cling.