Library / English Dictionary

INCH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot

Synonyms:

in; inch

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("inch" is a kind of...):

linear measure; linear unit (a unit of measurement of length)

Meronyms (parts of "inch"):

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)

mil (a unit of length equal to one thousandth of an inch; used to specify thickness (e.g., of sheets or wire))

em; pica; pica em (a linear unit (1/6 inch) used in printing)

Domain region:

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)

America; the States; U.S.; U.S.A.; United States; United States of America; US; USA (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)

Holonyms ("inch" is a part of...):

foot; ft (a linear unit of length equal to 12 inches or a third of a yard)

Derivation:

inch (advance slowly, as if by inches)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A unit of measurement for advertising space

Synonyms:

column inch; inch

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("inch" is a kind of...):

area unit; square measure (a system of units used to measure areas)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Advance slowly, as if by inches

Example:

He edged towards the car

Synonyms:

edge; inch

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "inch" is one way to...):

advance; go on; march on; move on; pass on; progress (move forward, also in the metaphorical sense)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

inch (a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot)

Credits

 Context examples: 

There are 25 millimeters in an inch.

(Millimeter, NCI Dictionary)

Their descent into the earth progressed at the rate of two or three inches an hour.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

There was the mainmast, fifteen inches in diameter at what was now the butt, still sixty-five feet in length, and weighing, I roughly calculated, at least three thousand pounds.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A traditional unit of linear measurement equal to one-thousandth of an inch.

(Milli-Inch, NCI Thesaurus)

This bottle was opened by a pocket screw, probably contained in a knife, and not more than an inch and a half long.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A traditional unit of linear measurement equal to one-millionth of an inch.

(Microinch, NCI Thesaurus)

A traditional unit of length defined as the number of opening per inch of a screen, e.g. the number of strands or particles per inch.

(Mesh, NCI Thesaurus)

A unit of length equal to one thousandth of an international inch or 25.4 microns; used predominantly to specify thickness.

(Mil, NCI Thesaurus)

You need not be too stuck on these lovely days, however, because these two planets will inch across the sky very slowly and be in close proximity and mathematical significance until mid-November.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Today the Kalahari's wettest areas receive 20 inches of rain each year; its driest, four to eight inches.

(Sleeping sands of the Kalahari awaken after more than 10,000 years, NSF)