inch


Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to inch: feet

inch 1

 (ĭnch)
n. Abbr. in or in.
1. A unit of length in the US Customary and British Imperial systems, equal to 1/12 of a foot (2.54 centimeters). See Table at measurement.
2. A fall, as of rain or snow, sufficient to cover a surface to the depth of one inch.
3. A unit of atmospheric pressure that is equal to the pressure exerted by a one-inch column of mercury at the earth's surface at a temperature of 0°C.
4. A very small degree or amount: won't budge an inch.
intr. & tr.v. inched, inch·ing, inch·es
To move or cause to move slowly or by small degrees: inching along through stalled traffic; inched the chair forward.
Idioms:
every inch
In every respect; entirely: "Ay, every inch a king!" (Shakespeare).
inch by inch
Very gradually or slowly.
within an inch of
Almost to the point of: came within an inch of death.

[Middle English, from Old English ynce, from Latin ūncia, one twelfth of a unit; see oi-no- in Indo-European roots.]

inch 2

 (ĭnch)
n. Scots
A small island.

[Middle English, from Scottish Gaelic innis, from Old Irish inis.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

inch

(ɪntʃ)
n
1. (Units) a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot or 0.0254 metre
2. (Physical Geography) meteorol
a. an amount of precipitation that would cover a surface with water one inch deep: five inches of rain fell in January.
b. a unit of pressure equal to a mercury column one inch high in a barometer
3. a very small distance, degree, or amount
4. every inch in every way; completely: he was every inch an aristocrat.
5. inch by inch gradually; little by little
6. within an inch of very close to
vb
7. to move or be moved very slowly or in very small steps: the car inched forward.
8. (foll by: out) to defeat (someone) by a very small margin
[Old English ynce, from Latin uncia twelfth part; see ounce1]

inch

(ɪntʃ)
n
Scot and Irish a small island
[C15: from Gaelic innis island; compare Welsh ynys]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

inch1

(ɪntʃ)
n.
1. a unit of length, 1/12 of a foot, equivalent to 2.54 centimeters.
2. a very small amount, degree, or distance: averted disaster by an inch.
v.t., v.i.
3. to move by small degrees: We inched along the road.
Idioms:
1. every inch, in every respect; completely.
2. within an inch of, nearly; close to.
[before 1000; Middle English; Old English ynce < Latin uncia twelfth part, inch, ounce. See ounce1]

inch2

(ɪntʃ)

n. Chiefly Scot.
[Middle English < Scottish Gaelic innse]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

inch

(ĭnch)
A unit of length equal to 1/12 of a foot (2.54 centimeters). See Table at measurement.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

inch


Past participle: inched
Gerund: inching

Imperative
inch
inch
Present
I inch
you inch
he/she/it inches
we inch
you inch
they inch
Preterite
I inched
you inched
he/she/it inched
we inched
you inched
they inched
Present Continuous
I am inching
you are inching
he/she/it is inching
we are inching
you are inching
they are inching
Present Perfect
I have inched
you have inched
he/she/it has inched
we have inched
you have inched
they have inched
Past Continuous
I was inching
you were inching
he/she/it was inching
we were inching
you were inching
they were inching
Past Perfect
I had inched
you had inched
he/she/it had inched
we had inched
you had inched
they had inched
Future
I will inch
you will inch
he/she/it will inch
we will inch
you will inch
they will inch
Future Perfect
I will have inched
you will have inched
he/she/it will have inched
we will have inched
you will have inched
they will have inched
Future Continuous
I will be inching
you will be inching
he/she/it will be inching
we will be inching
you will be inching
they will be inching
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been inching
you have been inching
he/she/it has been inching
we have been inching
you have been inching
they have been inching
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been inching
you will have been inching
he/she/it will have been inching
we will have been inching
you will have been inching
they will have been inching
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been inching
you had been inching
he/she/it had been inching
we had been inching
you had been inching
they had been inching
Conditional
I would inch
you would inch
he/she/it would inch
we would inch
you would inch
they would inch
Past Conditional
I would have inched
you would have inched
he/she/it would have inched
we would have inched
you would have inched
they would have inched
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

inch

(in) A unit of length equal to 1⁄12 ft.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.inch - a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a footinch - a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
Britain, Great Britain, U.K., UK, United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom
U.S.A., United States, United States of America, US, USA, America, the States, U.S. - North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
linear measure, linear unit - a unit of measurement of length
ft, foot - a linear unit of length equal to 12 inches or a third of a yard; "he is six feet tall"
ligne - a linear unit (1/40 inch) used to measure diameter of buttons
mesh - the number of openings per linear inch of a screen; measures size of particles; "a 100 mesh screen"; "100 mesh powdered cellulose"
mil - a unit of length equal to one thousandth of an inch; used to specify thickness (e.g., of sheets or wire)
pica em, em, pica - a linear unit (1/6 inch) used in printing
2.inch - a unit of measurement for advertising space
area unit, square measure - a system of units used to measure areas
Verb1.inch - advance slowly, as if by inches; "He edged towards the car"
advance, march on, move on, progress, pass on, go on - move forward, also in the metaphorical sense; "Time marches on"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

inch

verb
To advance slowly:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
إنْش: وِحْدَة قِياس إنْجليزيَّهبُوصَةُشِبْر منيَتَحَرَّك ببُطء وحَذَر
милиметър
coulpalecpíďpomalu se sunoutkousek
tommebevæge sig tomme for tomme
toll
tuuma
inč
hüvelyklassan haladaraszol
enskur òumlungur, tommahársbreiddòokast, mjakast
インチ
인치
colismilimetrasvos ne
ar grūtībām pārvietot/pārvietotiescollamata tiesaneliels daudzums
ţol
cólpiaďposúvať sa krok za krokom
palec
tum
นิ้ว
inçküçük miktarmilim milim hareket et mek
inch

inch

[ɪntʃ]
A. Npulgada f (= 2.54 cm) inches (= height) [of person] → estatura f
not an inch of territoryni un palmo de territorio
the car missed me by inchesfaltó poco para que me atropellara el coche
inch by inchpalmo a palmo
we searched every inch of the roomregistramos todos los rincones del cuarto
every inch of it was usedse aprovechó hasta el último centímetro
he's every inch a soldieres todo un soldado
he didn't give an inchno hizo la menor concesión
to lose a few inchesadelgazar un poco
to be within an inch of death/disasterestar a dos dedos de la muerte/del desastre
give him an inch and he'll take a miledale un dedo y se toma hasta el codo IMPERIAL SYSTEM
B. CPD inch tape Ncinta f en pulgadas (para medir)
inch forward
A. VI + ADV to inch forward [person, vehicle] → avanzar muy lentamente
B. VT + ADV [+ vehicle] → hacer avanzar muy lentamente
inch out
A. VT + ADV [+ opponent] → derrotar por muy poco
B. VI + ADV [vehicle] → avanzar muy despacio
inch up VI + ADV [prices] → subir poco a poco
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

inch

[ˈɪntʃ]
npouce m (= 2,54 cm)
6 inches → quinze centimètres
inch by inch → centimètre par centimètre
The car moved forward inch by inch → La voiture avança centimètre par centimètre.
within an inch of → à deux doigts de
to refuse to give an inch on sth (= refuse to back down) → ne pas vouloir céder d'un pouce sur qch
He wouldn't give an inch → Il n'a pas voulu céder d'un pouce., Il n'a pas voulu faire la plus petite concession.
every inch of sth (= every bit) [surface, space] → chaque centimètre de qch
We are prepared to fight for every inch of territory → Nous sommes prêts à nous battre pour défendre chaque parcelle du territoire.
to search every inch of sth → passer qch au peigne fin
We searched every inch of the house → Nous avons passé la maison au peigne fin.
vt
to inch one's way forward (= move slowly) [person] → avancer petit à petit
to inch one's way through
An ambulance inched its way through the crowd → Une ambulance s'est frayé un chemin à travers la foule.
inch forward
vt sep
to inch sth forward [+ car, boat] → faire avancer qch petit à petit
inch up
vi [price, rate, number] → augmenter petit à petit
vt fus [person] [+ slope, stairs] → monter petit à petit
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

inch

nZoll m, → Inch m; 3.5 inch disk3,5-Zoll-Diskette f; because of his lack of inchesweil er ein bisschen klein ist; she’s grown a few inchessie ist ein paar Zentimeter gewachsen; inch by inchZentimeter um Zentimeter; an inch-by-inch searcheine gründliche Durchsuchung; he came within an inch of winning/victoryer hätte um ein Haar or beinahe gewonnen; he came within an inch of being killeder ist dem Tod um Haaresbreite entgangen; they beat/thrashed him (to) within an inch of his lifesie haben ihn so geschlagen/verprügelt, dass er fast gestorben wäre; the lorry missed me by inchesder Lastwagen hat mich um Haaresbreite verfehlt; he knows every inch of the areaer kennt die Gegend wie seine Westentasche; he is every inch a soldierer ist jeder Zoll ein Soldat; we will not surrender one inch of our territorywir werden keinen Zentimeter unseres Gebiets abtreten; they searched every inch of the roomsie durchsuchten das Zimmer Zentimeter für Zentimeter; he couldn’t see an inch in front of himer konnte die Hand nicht vor den Augen sehen; give him an inch and he’ll take a mile (prov) → wenn man ihm den kleinen Finger gibt, nimmt er die ganze Hand (prov)
vi to inch forward/out/insich millimeterweise or stückchenweise vorwärtsschieben/hinausschieben/hineinschieben; because prices are inching upweil die Preise allmählich ansteigen; the Dutch swimmer is inching aheadder holländische Schwimmer schiebt sich langsam an die Spitze
vtlangsam manövrieren; he inched his way forward/througher schob sich langsam vorwärts/durch
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

inch

[ɪntʃ] npollice m (cm 2.54; 12 per foot)
a few inches → qualche centimetro
the car missed me by inches → c'è mancato un pelo che la macchina mi investisse
to lose a few inches (fam) → perdere un po' di ciccia
inch by inch → a poco a poco
every inch of it was used → è stato utilizzato tutto fino all'ultimo millimetro or centimetro
he's every inch a soldier → è un soldato dalla testa ai piedi
within an inch of → a un pelo da
to be within an inch of death/disaster → essere a un passo dalla morte/dalla rovina
he didn't give or budge an inch (fig) → non ha ceduto di un millimetro
inch forward vi + advavanzare pian piano
inch up vi + advsalire a poco a poco
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

inch

(intʃ) noun
1. (often abbreviated to in when written) a measure of length, the twelfth part of a foot (2.54 centimetres).
2. a small amount. There is not an inch of room to spare.
verb
to move slowly and carefully. He inched (his way) along the narrow ledge.
within an inch of
almost; very near(ly). He came within an inch of failing the exam.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

inch

بُوصَةُ palec tomme Zoll ίντσα pulgada tuuma pouce inč pollice インチ 인치 inch tomme cal polegada дюйм tum นิ้ว inç inch 英寸
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

inch

n. pulgada.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

inch

n pulgada, 2,54 centímetros
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
to the square inch, your 6,500 square inches bear at this moment a pressure of 97,500 lb."
Our Soldiers and Lowest Classes of Workmen are Triangles with two equal sides, each about eleven inches long, and a base or third side so short (often not exceeding half an inch) that they form at their vertices a very sharp and formidable angle.
"You see," said the Lightning, as it crept past him inch by inch, "I can travel considerably faster than you."
The first ice is especially interesting and perfect, being hard, dark, and transparent, and affords the best opportunity that ever offers for examining the bottom where it is shallow; for you can lie at your length on ice only an inch thick, like a skater insect on the surface of the water, and study the bottom at your leisure, only two or three inches distant, like a picture behind a glass, and the water is necessarily always smooth then.
It is remarkable for having a double row of teeth, half an inch long and extremely sharp, from whence it has received the name of the dog-toothed salmon.
"We'll have a third race of men, five inches high; a fourth race, an inch high--"
In the window opening he set small branches about an inch in diameter both vertically and horizontally, and so woven that they formed a substantial grating that could withstand the strength of a powerful animal.
It said, "The Gorner Glacier travels at an average rate of a little less than an inch a day." I have seldom felt so outraged.
The whale line is only two thirds of an inch in thickness.
The thickness of the wall of the tube varies from a thirtieth to a twentieth of an inch, and occasionally even equals a tenth.
Through the wreck of battle the division moved, inch by inch, in the direction of the enemy, who had withdrawn a little to reform his lines.
A solid shot of 108 inches would weigh more than 200,000 pounds, a weight evidently far too great.