Word · CEFR C1 · Frequency #8294
clench
/klentʃ/
verb
咬紧；紧闭
To close tightly.
- 1.
To grip or hold fast.
紧握或抓住
- 2.
To close tightly.
紧闭
握紧；抓牢；紧握或抓住；紧闭；紧握；牢牢地抓住
In use
He clenched his teeth in anger.
She clenched her fists when she heard the bad news.
The child clenched the toy tightly in his hand.
Verb forms
base clench · third person clenches · -ing clenching · past clenched · past participle clenched
规则动词，过去式和过去分词加-ed。
Connections
Collocations
- clench one's fist
- 握紧拳头
- He clenched his fist in frustration.他沮丧地握紧拳头。
- clench one's jaw
- 咬紧牙关
- She clenched her jaw and said nothing.她咬紧牙关，什么也没说。
- clench one's teeth
- 咬紧牙齿
- He clenched his teeth to stop shivering.他咬紧牙齿以免发抖。
- clench one's hands
- 攥紧双手
- I clenched my hands under the table.我在桌子下面攥紧双手。
Synonyms
- grip
- 抓紧；握牢 · grip 是中性常用词，可替换 clench 的“紧握某物”义；但不能说 grip one's fist/teeth 来表示“攥紧拳头/咬紧牙”。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
记忆联想：clench 与 clasp、close 同以 cl- 开头，都有“合拢、抓牢”的感觉——握紧拳、咬紧牙。
Context & Register
语域：neutral 常见场景：日常对话、小说/影视描写、新闻报道 clench 表示“握紧”或“咬紧”时在口语和书面语中都较常用，属于中性表达；通常搭配 fist、teeth、jaw 等具体对象，使意思更明确。正式学术文体中较少单独使用。
Grammar Note
常与fist, jaw, teeth等搭配，表示紧握或咬紧。
Pronunciation & Spelling
这六个词都和 clench (/klentʃ/) 押韵，重读元音 /e/ 和结尾 /ntʃ/ 相同：bench、drench、French、quench、stench、trench。注意形近词 clinch (/klɪntʃ/) 和 clutch (/klʌtʃ/) 读音不同，不要混淆。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 1，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, OCTANOVE, WIKTIONARY, WORDNET.