Definitions
01unit of length
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun American English · British English
n. a unit of length equal to 2.54 centimetres. There are 12 inches in one foot.
n. a unit of linear measure in the imperial and US customary systems, equivalent to 1/12 of a foot or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
日本語:インチ※
“The snow was at least six inches deep by the time we woke up.”
“The carpenter measured the gap precisely, noting that it was exactly three-quarters of an inch wider than the replacement panel.”
02a very small distance
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a very small distance or amount.
n. a figurative measure representing an extremely small distance, degree, or margin.
“The car missed the wall by only an inch.”
“The two runners were separated by barely an inch as they crossed the finish line, making it one of the closest races in history.”
Antonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “inch” in context.
Verb
01. fight for every inch
“The soldiers had to fight for every inch of ground during the battle.”
verb + prep + adj + noun
02. move an inch
“The traffic was so heavy that we didn't move an inch for twenty minutes.”
verb + noun
Noun
03. matter of inches
“The car missed the cyclist by a matter of inches.”
noun + of + noun
04. square inch
“They searched every square inch of the house but couldn't find the missing keys.”
noun + noun
Preposition
05. inch by inch
“Inch by inch, the climbers made their way up the steep rock face.”
prep + noun + prep + noun
06. within an inch of
“The driver came within an inch of hitting the guardrail.”
prep + noun + prep
Real-World Examples
“The map measures soil moisture down to 100 centimeters, about 40 inches.” “But higher education has been inching away from entrance exams.” “Cows in the US have bird flu - is it inching closer to humans?” Etymology
From Middle English ynche, enche, from Old English ynċe, borrowed from Latin uncia (“Roman inch, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Cognate with Middle Dutch enke (“thumb, thumb's width, inch”). Doublet of ounce, uncia, onça, onza, oka, ouguiya, and awqiyyah.
From Scots inch, from Scottish Gaelic innis.
Semantic loan from Cantonese 寸 (cyun³, “inch”), which is an alternative form of 串 (cyun³, “cocky; to provoke; etc.”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Idioms
01. every inch
02. give someone an inch and someone will take a mile
03. inch along
04. inch away
05. inch back
06. inch by inch
07. inch forward
08. inch up
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/inch
‘외래어’ data: 한국어기초사전 (국립국어원), CC BY-SA 2.0 KR
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0