inch

A unit for measuring length, equal to 2.54 centimetres; twelve of these make one foot.

• The nail is one inch long.
• Her screen measures fifteen inches across.
• How many inches are there in a foot?

Common phrases: an inch long, square inch, inch by inch

A very small distance or amount of space.

• Do not move an inch.
• She searched every inch of the room.
• Neither side would give an inch in the argument.

Common phrases: move an inch, every inch, not an inch

A small unit of length used in older measuring systems, with a value that varies between systems.

• A Roman inch was shorter than a modern one.
• The historian converted the old inches into centimetres.
• Different regions once used different lengths for an inch.

Common phrases: Roman inch, traditional inch, historical inch

To move very slowly or in very small steps in a particular direction.

• The queue inched forward.
• She inched along the narrow ledge.
• Prices have inched up again this month.

How to use it: inch along something (The cat inched along the narrow wall.); inch towards something (The car inched towards the crossing.)

Similar words: creep, edge

Common phrases: inch forward, inch along, inch towards something