How to Use inch in a Sentence

inch

1 of 2 noun
  • The bit that pokes out of the side of the body is four inches.
    Flora Lichtman, Scientific American, 5 June 2023
  • The rest of the Bay Area can expect rainfall rates around a third of an inch per hour.
    Gerry Díaz, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2023
  • Most cities got an inch or two — about half of what was recorded during the storms at the start of the month.
    Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024
  • These genius catch-alls are a fun way to make the most of every last inch of your home.
    countryliving.com, 6 June 2023
  • He’s grown a couple inches and shed quite a few pounds.
    Shane Hoffmann | , oregonlive, 14 Sep. 2023
  • Season lamb: Score the fatty top of the lamb 5 times (1/4 inch deep and 4 inches long).
    Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2023
  • The Kingcamp Low-sling Beach Chair sits 8.6 inches off the ground and only weighs 6.5 pounds.
    Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2023
  • At full size, the snails measure between two and six inches in length.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Velveeta’s shells were oversized—close to half an inch long.
    Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Pipe three rows of four meringues about 1-2 inches apart on one baking sheet.
    Beth Branch, Country Living, 27 July 2023
  • The bear lunged again, and his front paws and claws came within a couple of inches of little ChewB.
    Dean Hensley, USA TODAY, 4 May 2023
  • When the weather is hot, water once a week, adding 1 to 2 inches of water.
    Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 May 2023
  • The mountain claims to get around 500 inches of snow a year, negating the need for snowmaking.
    Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 16 Jan. 2024
  • In two days, the Cascade Mountains, east of the big cities, received up to 10 inches of rain, Bower said.
    Evan Bush, NBC News, 6 Dec. 2023
  • The upper end of a good blade length is 4.25 inches with smaller blades around 3 inches.
    Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
  • Palisades Tahoe got 14 inches of snow at the upper mountain and 7 inches at the base.
    Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2024
  • In back, there is an extra 1.4 inches of headroom and a bit more shoulder width.
    Tony Swan, Car and Driver, 3 June 2023
  • If the soil feels dry to the touch at least an inch down into the pot, thoroughly water the plant and let the excess water drain out.
    Kate McGregor, House Beautiful, 7 June 2023
  • The material of the gown also had a unique design, as it was tiered along the waistline and a few inches above the hem.
    Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 26 May 2023
  • This also means that a few inches away from the screen, the cursor is inactive, as are the buttons.
    PCMAG, 26 Jan. 2024
  • At 4 feet, 10 inches tall, Borges landed on her feet in chest-high liquid.
    Michael Rubinkam, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2023
  • The tank is so large that, as it was lowered, there was less than an inch of space between it and the solid rocket boosters.
    Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2024
  • Bring water to a boil: Place eggs in a large saucepan and add enough water until the eggs are covered by 1-2 inches.
    Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2024
  • Honey locusts can have wicked thorns — up to eight inches long — and gummy seed pods that make a mess.
    Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023
  • Denver could record the most snow in three years and more than a month’s worth of snow as 12 to 18 inches are possible from the multi-day storm.
    Mary Gilbert, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
  • And unlike some leggings, these ones come in dozens of colors as well as two lengths: 25 or 28 inches.
    Rebecca Martinson, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2023
  • The storms will also bring large hail, tornadoes and up to 3 inches of heavy rainfall.
    Elainie Barraza, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2023
  • To harvest, separate the fruit from the vine by cutting the tendril, but leave about two inches still attached to the fruit.
    oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2023
  • Guests will have to adhere to NAU’s clear bag policy which only allows clear bags or a 4.5 by 6.5 inch clutch purse.
    The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
  • Aside from that, this is a terrific little toaster for the money, and at only nine inches across fits nicely even on smaller countertops.
    Megan Wahn, Bon Appétit, 19 Apr. 2024
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inch

2 of 2 verb
  • I inched the car into the garage.
  • We inched along in heavy traffic.
  • As she neared the finish line, she inched ahead of the other racers.
  • Gas prices are inching up again.
  • And on Friday, the area hit 120, inching very close to that record.
    ABC News, 23 July 2023
  • Trains inched past the mangled cars as crews repaired the tracks.
    Harold Maass, The Week, 6 June 2023
  • The sun inched over the high-rise condos, casting a shadow across half of Mr. Do’s face.
    Jessica Testa, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
  • That would be a sign that the Fed is inching closer to cutting rates.
    Bryan Mena, CNN, 30 Jan. 2024
  • As the clock rolled over to the fourth quarter, San Francisco inched into the red zone.
    Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024
  • If the Lakers win out and Sacramento drops two of those games, the Lakers would inch ahead of them.
    Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
  • Acuña began last season as our No. 10 prospect, but has inched his way up.
    Evan Grant, Dallas News, 28 Mar. 2023
  • The Dow inched up while the Nasdaq Composite slid to extend its decline to kick off the year.
    Chelsey Dulaney, WSJ, 4 Jan. 2024
  • For the past four seasons, the Conway Crocs Swim Club coach inched even closer, but still fell short of breaking the streak.
    Jason Batacao, Arkansas Online, 15 July 2023
  • Swift has been inching toward some sort of tipping point for a while.
    Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
  • The dynamic altered in the third quarter as North Putnam inched back to a 40-8 deficit.
    Indy Star Sports, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Aug. 2023
  • When the bed of the truck was filled with body bags, an older driver climbed in, inched the truck past the leveled building and onto the street, and drove away.
    Eric Nagourney, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Diana Martens watched as her first-grade son, Noah, inched himself off the hilltop.
    Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024
  • Just after the pair completed Lap 247, O’Ward inched ahead on the front stretch dogleg.
    Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2023
  • Still, even he was stunned by how much cash people were willing to splash to inch closer to Taylor Swift in the flesh.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2023
  • Her $17 hourly paycheck, which inched up 80 cents in the past two years, is hardly enough to cover the basics anymore.
    Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024
  • That inched closer to the studios’ position, which stands at 7%.
    Gene Maddaus, Variety, 26 Oct. 2023
  • Texas signee Lauren Lewis of Prosper continues to inch closer to the state record in the girls 400 meters.
    Greg Riddle, Dallas News, 18 Apr. 2023
  • As of late, Malone has been inching into the world of country music.
    Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
  • The line inches forward and questions ricochet around your brain as your palms start to moisten: Will the bagel guy be nice to me?
    Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 1 Nov. 2023
  • Home prices are still inching up, and many buyers haven’t shied from mortgage rates around 6 or 7 percent.
    Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
  • But everyone else, the many millions whose cars inched along atop them and the countless neighborhoods crushed to make way for them?
    Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2023
  • The experience lasts about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the group and how rapidly folks inch themselves across the bridge.
    Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2023
  • With the new harvest, supply has increased and helped prices inch downward, which could make the oil more affordable in the coming months.
    Byprarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 20 Nov. 2023
  • Rental costs inched higher by 1.4 percent quarter over quarter, and 6.8 percent year over year, the report shows.
    Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024
  • The three major stock indexes, meanwhile, inched upward in early trading on Friday.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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