- a unit of length, 1/12 (0.0833) foot, equivalent to 2.54 centimeters. Abbreviation: in.
- a very small amount of anything; narrow margin: to win by an inch;to avert disaster by an inch.
- to move by inches or small degrees: We inched our way along the road.
- by inches,
- narrowly; by a narrow margin: escaped by inches.
- by small degrees or stages; gradually: The miners worked their way through the narrow shaft inch by inch.
- in every respect; completely: That horse is every inch a thoroughbred.
- nearly; close to: He came within an inch of getting killed in the crash.
- a small island near the seacoast.
- a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot or 0.0254 metre
- meteorol
- an amount of precipitation that would cover a surface with water one inch deep
- a unit of pressure equal to a mercury column one inch high in a barometer
- a very small distance, degree, or amount
- in every way; completely
- gradually; little by little
- very close to
- to move or be moved very slowly or in very small steps
- to defeat (someone) by a very small margin
- a small island
