inches

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of inch.

   The snow piled up to nearly six inches overnight.

   The carpenter measured the gap at three inches and reached for a wider board.

   Note

   A regular plural, but one that adds a syllable: the -es after the ch sound gives inches the same ending as pinches. Beyond the ruler, it measures snow and rainfall (six inches of rain) and, figuratively, the narrowest of margins, as in within inches of the edge. In Scottish and Irish usage the same plural can also name small islands, or islets.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of inch.

   Traffic inches along the highway during the evening rush.

   She inches the ladder sideways until it lines up with the window.

   Note

   The verb works both ways: traffic inches along on its own, while a person inches a ladder or a car forward. Either way it usually wants a direction, such as along, forward, closer or toward the door. It shares the extra syllable of the plural noun. In colloquial Hong Kong English the verb has a separate meaning: to insult someone or talk back cheekily.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2