inch

/ɪntʃ/

/ɪntʃ/

Other forms: inches; inched; inching

An inch is a small unit of measurement. Twelve inches makes one foot.

You might get an inch of your hair cut off, or hem your jeans so they're an inch shorter. Some countries use centimeters and meters as units of measurement, but if you measure in inches, you can order a twelve inch pizza or print out three by five inch photos. When inch is used as a verb, it means "to creep slowly forward." The Old English version was ynce, from the Latin uncia, "a twelfth part."

Definitions of inch

1. noun

   a unit of length equal to one-twelfth of a foot
   synonyms: in

   type of:

   linear measure, linear unit

   a unit of measurement of length
2. noun

   a unit of measurement for advertising space
   synonyms: column inch

   type of:

   area unit, square measure

   a system of units used to measure areas
3. verb

   advance slowly, as if by inches
   synonyms: edge

   type of:

   advance, go on, march on, move on, pass on, progress

   move forward, also in the metaphorical sense